Undertale: The Royal Hunt
by HowManyJays
Summary: After falling down a hole in a mountain, Frisk, a young teen, finds herself in a strange land filled with talking animals and creatures of various shapes and sizes, that's ruled by an oppressive monarchy, and Frisk must now find a way out while escaping The Royal Hunt, a violent group of warriors led by the psychotic Mad Mickey. Book 1 of the Shattering AU Warning: graphic violence
1. Prologue

" _But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked._

" _Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."_

" _How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice._

" _You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."_

 _\- Alice Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll_

* * *

 _Somewhere deep down…_

When she first came to be, all Frisk could see was utter darkness.

 _What's going on?_ she thought. _Am I dreaming?_

The next sensation she felt was an incredible pain. It seemed to spread out all over her body, both inside and outside, but it seemed to be the worst in her stomach and waist region. She also felt cold. Very, very cold, and the air had the smell of saltwater… and blood.

"Ugh," she muttered when she tried calling out.

After a few moments, Frisk finally managed to open her eyes. All she could see at first was a dimly glowing flower in the distance, surrounded by impenetrable darkness.

As her vision got clearer, the luminous flower seemed to glow brighter and shewed Frisk the rocky interior of the place. The ground, for the most part, seemed to be made of complete solid stone, with the occasional grass or flower sprouting out, and the wall behind the glowing large flower was rocky as well and seemed to curve outward the higher it went. Frisk then noticed that the ground she was laying on was for the most part very soft, and then when she looked down she saw that she was laying on a wet beach of sorts. Frisk came to the conclusion that she was in some sort of an underground beach. She couldn't bother thinking of any reason why because she was as terrified as she was confused.

"Wh-where am I?" Frisk said to herself. "What's going on?"

The only sounds she heard in this dark, cavernous place was the strange sound that came from the glowing plant, and the distant splashes of waterfalls, which made Frisk realize this cavern was bigger than she thought.

"He-help!" Frisk shouted. "Anyone!"

There was no reply, but the echo of her voice through the cavern. If there was anyone nearby they would most likely have at least heard the echo. But nobody came.

Frisk trembled not just of cold, but of panic as well. She was terrified. Not only was she seemingly alone, but she had no recollection of anything. Where was she and what's with this incredible pain?

Frisk tried standing up, but it proved more difficult than she thought. It hurt so much. It was like she hadn't stood up in years, and so she just immediately fell back down and her face landed in a shallow puddle. She muttered and tried pulling herself up again. But then Frisk became stunned when she saw the reflection of a horrifyingly mutilated face in the puddle.

It was a female face that looked battered and bruised, with blue and purple streaks around one of her eyes, and the nose was broken. Not only that, but the face was also covered in small cuts and splinters. It was like this girl was hit in the face with a wooden plank.

Realizing this was her face, Frisk unsurprisingly, became very terrified.

 _This is a nightmare,_ she thought to herself. _This has to be a nightmare._

But the worst part was yet to be discovered, as she realized when she looked at the palm of her hand. It was not only wounded with few splinters, but it was also painted red with blood. Her blood. Even with her somewhat delirious phase, Frisk could tell that this large amount of blood couldn't have come from just a few splinter wound.

Then she realized that just a moment ago, this palm was touching her waist where most of the agony came from, and she had felt something hard sticking out.

Finally, she managed to sit up on her knees and then, scared beyond belief, Frisk looked down at her stomach to see what she had touched, hoping to god it wasn't her bone sticking out.

"Oh… oh god," she instinctively muttered out when she saw the source of her immense pain.

A large, shattered piece of wood was impaled in her waist, and blood was seeping from the gaps around it.

Dozens of questions filled her mind, questions like: _Where am I? What the hell is happening? WHY is this happening? Why is there no one around?_ And last but not least: _What the hell should I do now?_

But Frisk couldn't bring herself to ponder any possible solutions, not at the moment at least, for this situation terrified her too much to think about anything else except for the present predicament. Instead, in an illogical impulse controlled by her fears, she put her bloodied hand on the wooden shrapnel piece and attempted to pull it out.

She only managed to pull out about an inch before a short but very sharp stinging pain caused her to stop and wince in pain.

"Oh god, this hurts," Frisk said to herself trembling.

The pain made her eyes water. After a moment of calming down, she wiped some tears off her face and put both her hands on the wood.

"All right," she said to herself. "Let's try this again."

Filled with all the determination she could manage, she mustered immense strength and began pulling it out.

"Oh fuck," she instinctively said out loud.

Every pull she made worsened the sharp pain.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck."

The wood was now halfway out. It stung so much her eyes began to water again.

Tears began running down her bruised cheeks as the pain kept rising. She was now pulling much slower, and a small but growing part of her was now begging her to stop. But despite the overwhelming agony, she stayed determined.

The wooden piece was almost out of her now. Only a few more pulls.

"Almost," she reassured herself, her eyes now blinded by tears. "Almoooosssst."

And with great and quick effort, she ripped the last piece out. At the moment she did, overwhelming anguish spread from that wound to all over her body, causing Frisk to release from deep within her bowels a loud wail of agony. Her cries echoed throughout the deep cavern, but once again, nobody came.

Frisk panted heavily as she tried to calm herself. Then she looked at the half bloodied stake in her hands that just a moment ago was impaled deep within her waist.

"Th-there," she said to herself trembling. "It's done."

But her feelings of mild triumphs were short, as she noticed that blood was now seeping through the wound in greater quantities since there was nothing to clog it anymore. Panicking, Frisk tried blocking it with her one hand while she tried to rip a piece of her striped shirt with her other hand.

"Oh fuck fuck FUCK!" said Frisk in a mixture of irritation and panic. "What the hell was I thinking?"

Managing to rip a piece out after being forced to use her teeth for an assist, she ineptly tied the fabric around her wound as best as she could from her lacklustre medical knowledge and tightened it.

It seemed to have worked, for the tight binding managed to lessen the bleeding quite a bit.

Frisk felt exhausted now. Her last few acts felt like the most gruelling things she had ever done, and so she just laid down with her back facing the ground.

"What the- what the fuck is going on here?" she asked herself.

She looked at the darkness above her, trying to see stars or anything that could be construed as a light source. The best things she could find were tiny shining dots far in the distance. Frisk wasn't sure these were stars though, for much like the glowing flower, they seemed to fade and grow in brightness.

It was kind of soothing she felt. Staring at almost empty nothingness with no noise in her vicinity but her breathing.

Also, and Frisk wasn't sure if it was due to immense blood loss, but she felt kind of numb and tired. Very, very tired in fact. She wanted to rest.

Just a little bit, she thought to herself.

And then she closed her eyes and dozed into a short sleep.

Suddenly, a rush of countless memories all of a sudden flashed before her eyes in an instant and she jerked awake. It was like waking up from a nightmare as she laid there gasping for air. She didn't know how or why, but she somehow remembered everything now. She remembered her friends, her enemies, her purpose and all the events in the last few days that led her to this agonizing moment.

But the thing that most distracted Frisk was that she had somehow managed to forget this.

"How did I forget?" she said to herself panting. "How the fuck did I forget?"

Feeling an immense rush of adrenaline, Frisk managed to make herself stand up for the first time. Her waist and bones stung as she did, but she ignored it.

Frisk painfully wandered back and forth as she tried to digest her countless memories, and ponder dozens of speculations.

"I must have bumped my head on something when I fell," she suggested to herself. "Or maybe there some time paradox shit going on or some nonsense like that."

Then her thought went elsewhere, to her friends and the awful event that led her to this dark place, for whatever caused her sudden amnesia wasn't as important compared to the tragedy that just occurred.

Frisk knew she had to go back, to warn everyone and prevent the attack from even happening, but she didn't know how. There was barely anything in this dark place she could find that would help her load.

"I-I have to go back," she said as her mind began scrambling for ideas. "I need to go back somehow, I-"

Frisk stopped mid-sentence as she glanced the cold, dark water. An awful idea popped into her head, an idea so terrible she couldn't believe she even considered it. But it was the only way, the only way she could think of that is. She spent a few good moments staring at the lake, trying desperately to think of other options, ones less painful and quicker. But the shattered wood wasn't sharp enough and there weren't any loose rocks, so it was either the lake or waiting for hours until she bled out.

With that awful realization out of the way, Frisk closed her eyes and began to mentally prepare herself.

"Don't worry," she said to herself. "It will all be over soon."

With her eyes still closed, she began to slowly walk towards the water.

"It will all be over soon, it will all be over soon," she kept repeating to herself as she neared the dark water.

She felt her feet touch the freezing water, and she shuddered.

"It- it will be over soon, it will all be over soon."

Frisk walked a bit further until the cold water was up to her knees. She winced as the freezing salt water seeped into the wounds on her legs.

"It will-it will all be over soon, it will all be over s-soon."

She sat down on her knees in the cold water.

"It will all be over soon."

She laid on her back and floated lightly in the water. She breathed irregularly. It was cold, and she was scared.

Frisk stared at the endless darkness above her once more and closed her eyes. She calmer now, and breathed easier. She was ready.

 _Let's do this,_ she thought.

Then Frisk took a deep breath and pushed herself into the water. It wasn't that shallow this close to the beach, so it only took a few seconds before she reached the bottom. Even though she wasn't trying to, she instinctively tried holding in her breath. But after a few seconds, she stopped.

She opened her eyes as her body seemingly jolted awake like from a bad dream. She saw nothing in the green, foggy water except for the red smoke that seeped from her wounds and to the surface. Bubbles floated from her mouth as she began gasping for air. A part of her tried to make her go up the surface, but Frisk held herself still and grabbed an underwater root to help keep herself down.

 _God, it hurts._

It was like a constant struggle between her mind and body. Litres and litres of water entered her mouth and lungs, and she felt water pour through her dozens of wounds. It hurt so much, but Frisk kept going, holding herself still as best she could.

She saw her life flash before her once more as her lungs were filled with water. She saw her friends, family, her happy moments, and her worst days. But it was too late to stop now.

Her vision was getting dark, and she felt her body giving up. In the end, she saw a light, and then darkness. Then Frisk let out a last minuscule breath as her lifeless body floated gently to the surface.

Frisk saw nothing. Not darkness with a hint of light or even darkness in general. Just nothing.

Then she saw her soul, a red coloured heart shaped object floating in the emptiness. Then there came a sort of yellow star-like object that seemed to twist and change in shape at every turn. Frisk felt a longing to reach out and touch it. When she did, her soul moved and absorbed the glowing shape and then the entire void was filled with blinding light alongside all of Frisk hopes and dreams, and fears and horrors as she saw all her possible pasts, presents and futures appear before her very eyes, if what she had in the void could be called eyes, in just an instance. But in almost the same moment they appeared, the flashes vanished from her sight and once again became distant long forgotten memories deep within the recesses of her consciousness. And then Frisk woke up…

"Ugh," muttered Frisk as she struggled to wake up. She felt herself laying on her back on something hard… and wet.

Must be imagining, she thought.

Her blurry vision was getting better, and she had mustered enough energy to stand up.

I'm ready, she thought.

And when she managed to wake up, she became more horrified beyond reason. She refused to believe this was happening. She thought that maybe this was an illusion created from time paradoxes, or maybe time had yet to adjust to sudden changes or something. But the truth was worse.

She was still there, in the deep dark caverns, laying on the rocky floor on where she got her memories back.

"No!" she said. "No,no,no,no,NO! This can't be happening. Oh god, this can't be happening.. I shouldn't have loaded here, I didn't save, I didn't FUCKING save! This has to be a nightmare oh god please let this be a nightmare, god please someone please..."

Frisk frantically tried standing up before immediately slipping on the wet stone and falling face first into the hard floor. It hurt so much she couldn't breathe.

She began to cry as she sat down on her knees.

"HELP," she yelled into the darkness. "SOMEONE! SOMEBODY PLEASE… *sob*...HELP... ME!"

There was no answer, but the echo of her sobbing voice.

"HELP ME PLEASE!"

She cried and cried uncontrollably as the grim reality dawned on her. She was alone, in this cold, dark place with nothing but her immense guilt and terror to keep her company. There was no one around, and no one who could hear her cries.

"Oh fuck I'm so sorry," she muttered to herself. "Flowey, Max, Undyne, Gerson, everyone. I am so sorry. I have failed you. I was so clumsy a-a-and stupid that I've... fucked it up and failed you somehow. Oh god, I am so… sorry."

Weeping, Frisk stumbled past the flower and sat down by the cavern wall.

"Oh god," she muttered.

She wiped tears and snot off her face with the back of her bruised hand as she kept sobbing.

"I wanna go home," Frisk said to herself.

But in the deep, dark recesses of the earth, nobody heard and nobody came...

 _ **The Shattering**_

 _ **An Undertale story**_

 _ **Book 1: The Royal Hunt**_

* * *

Author rambling:

And here it is. The first(?) chapter of The Shattering. As you can guess, this AU can get very dark, but would you believe me if I told you this is perhaps NOT the darkest this story can get?  
So this cheerful introduction is basically my way of saying: "This is not going to be a happy story, and if you don't like that then you don't have to continue reading."  
But anyway, I have been looking forward to making this story. I have like dozens of ideas for it, but I have planned a beginning and an end for it, so I'm not really just making up everything as I go along, although that might happen a few times. I have no idea when the next chapter will come out, but I have planned that one as well. One thing I wasn't happy about in AHTR is that I felt that the chapters were perhaps too long, and so I have instead decided to skip every chapter in a few parts, and releasing them individually.

So to finish this off, I hope you enjoy reading this fic and more will come soon.  
(If you want more rambling, then you can check out the not on the first chapter of A Hunt to Remember which can be found in this collection (I think, I haven't been that much on this website))


	2. The Ruins Part 1

Chapter 1: The Ruins - Part 1

A few days earlier…

Frisk could feel the hot, evening sunlight resting on her sleeping face. She was currently in a weird state where she was not quite asleep, but not really awake either, like her consciousness was stuck in a limbo of sorts.

A small part of her didn't want to wake up just yet. She had been dreaming a good dream. Frisk couldn't remember what it was about, just that it had been very good, and hoped that if she would fall asleep again it would pick up right where she started, wherever that was. Adding to that sensation was the fact that she was laying on something very soft, which were reminiscent of her old parent's bed.

When Frisk finally opened her eyes, she was almost blinded for a moment by the light of the orange evening sun until she quickly adjusted to it. Still too tired to stand up, Fisk looked around was laying in a bright, and a very brown underground cavern. Above her was the rocky platform where she had fallen and where the only cavern entrance she knew of was located with the setting sun shining through it, giving bright colours to this otherwise dull place.

She also had an immense headache, perhaps the biggest headache she had gotten in a long time. Not only that, but she also felt very tired and hungover. It was like she had been drinking all night, even though she remembered doing nothing of the sort.

"Ugh, mierda," Frisk cursed and put her hand on her forehead.

After a short while though, the headache and dizziness went away.

Maybe I knocked my head on something when I fell, she thought. Would explain why I suddenly fell asleep. That and the soft floor.

Frisk finally sat up and looked further at her surroundings. She had been laying on a small flower bed consisting only of sunflowers that formed almost a perfect circle right underneath the cavern entrance. The flowers were very soft indeed, perhaps unnaturally so. Frisk figured they must have lightened her fall.

The next thing Frisk did was look down on her clothes. She was still wearing the same clothes as last she checked. A blue and pink striped hoodie with dangling white laces, blue torn jeans, and black matching boots. In other words, there was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary there. Frisk found it weird that she considered checking.

Frisk groaned a bit when she stood up. After that, she began to listen to her surroundings. Birds were singing, insects were buzzing in this underground cavern, and from somewhere far above, Frisk could hear the distant sound of an early autumn wind which gave her images of being inside a nice, cosy cabin during an extreme wind. It was like she had fallen into a fairy tale.

But as much as this peaceful atmosphere fancied her, another growing part of her was filled with dread. She had fallen god knows how deep and she was now possibly trapped. Starting to panic, Frisk looked up at the platform from where she had fallen and began to yell.

"Help!" she yelled. "Anyone?!"

There was no reply.

"Hey, there's a girl stuck down here! I fell down this hole, and I can't get up! If there's anyone up there that can help me, that would be great."

There was no reply, but the distant chirping of birds. Frisk waited for a few more moments but still, there came nothing. Frisk sighed.

"What are you doing Frisk?" she asked herself.

She reached for her pants pocket and pulled out a small, white phone.

"What the hell?" she said when she opened it and saw the red glowing notification on her screen.

There was no signal. None at all. Frisk found this more surprising as much as it worried her. She had fallen far yes, but Frisk was sure she hadn't fallen THAT far, and it wasn't like the mountain was a long way away from a decent signal tower. In fact, there was one right on top of it.

Thinking it was a bug or some badly optimized settings, Frisk's next move was to see if she could fix it herself. She went through all the setting she could find. She went through the Wi-Fi, the mobile data, and even the phone's memory to see if it was full or something.

"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered as she scrolled through the settings. "Shit."

It was useless. Try as she might, she just couldn't reactivate it.

"Dammit!"

Giving up frustrated and worried, Frisk put the phone back into her pockets. Her breath began to grow frantic. She was starting to panic. But she knew that a panic attack wouldn't do anything but make things feel worse, so she began to close her eyes and calm herself down.

"Don't freak out," she began. "Don't freak out. Just breathe slowly. It's not that bad. You are just trapped in an underground cavern far away from civilization and no one has any idea where you are. Y'know, just typical teenage worries."

She breathed calmy for a few more moments, and when she considered herself ready, she opened her eyes again as slowly as she closed them, and began to look around for a way out. Despite her ever-growing worry, Frisk stayed determined and tried her hardest to not let her panic overwhelm her.

"All right," she said to herself. "Think, think."

She considered maybe try climbing up, but then she quickly changed her mind as she remembered she was a terrible climber. Also, the cavernous walls seemed to concave at the top, making it impossible to climb without the proper tools.

"Maybe I could… no, no, no, no. That's stupid."

And then Frisk finally noticed it. It was pretty hard to see at first because it was hidden in the shadows, but Frisk could faintly see a tunnel entrance deeper with the cavern.

"Ok," she said. "This could be it."

With that, she turned back to face the platform where she had fallen and yelled at it one last time:

"Y'know what? It's fine! I think I found a way out of here myself. Turns out I might not need your help or anything!"

Once again, there was no reply.

"Great job Frisk," she whispered to herself. "Yelling at nothing. That's gotta be like the first sign of crazy."

With that, she turned to face the tunnel.

"Could be a dead end," Frisk considered. "Eh, might as well try."

Since the path ahead was hidden from any visible source of light, it was extremely hard to see. But thanks to modern technology, Frisk simply picked up her phone and turned on the flashlight in it. When she did, however, Frisk was greeted by a curious sight.

"What the hell?" she muttered.

Frisk blinked twice, then a few more times just to make sure it wasn't a trick of the eye. But it was there, as hard as it was for her to believe. There were pillars. Stone pillars carved on the rocky walls. This couldn't have been any geological coincidence as the craftsmanship was obviously hand made. Not only that, but they also looked incredibly similar to the ones found in ancient Greek temples, which kind of didn't fit with the whole Celtic or even medieval architecture Frisk would have normally expected to find in ruins this far north.

To make extra sure she wasn't hallucinating, Frisk went and caressed one pillar, and felt the smoothly carved details. At that point, she no longer had any doubts. This was a real pillar.

Frisk found this discovery confusing as she had found it fascinating. If this place was as ancient as it seemed, why in the world hadn't she heard of it in all her years living near this mountain. And why wasn't there anything put in place to preserve this ancient history? It wasn't like Mt. Ebbot was that far away from civilization which would make it impossible to find. In fact, the town where she lived, aptly named Ebbot as well, was only a short drive away. The only explanation Frisk could think of, although it was very improbable, was that she was the only person who had found it so far.

Unless the people who went missing at the mountain during all those years also found it. Which would've meant they also fell down here… and Frisk would soon find out what happened to them.

Frisk shock away those horrible thoughts and tried to stay optimistic. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter to her as much as finding a way out, and so she stepped away from the pillar and continued her descent.

"Hello?" she yelled into the tunnel. "Anyone here? Any crazy hermits? Any wise old monks that can give me valuable life lessons? Any… scary trolls or monsters that are gonna eat me up? No? Alright then."

The signs of ancient civilizations didn't fade the further she went. Rather, they increased exponentially as the rocky, cavernous walls were subtly being replaced by solid and smoothly carved stone. After a short while, the place became indistinguishable from a large, ancient hallway.

"Ok, this is getting weird," rambled Frisk.

After about a minute of walking, the hallway ended at a solid wall with the only way to continue being a large, open entrance to Frisk's left with a dim light shining through. Like the pillars, it was obviously man-made and masterfully crafted, and it looked like it used to be a large gate except the doors were missing. Around this open gate were carvings that seemed to depict some sort of ancient history, but they were now completely illegible after centuries, if not millennials, of ageing.

The source of the dim light came from a sunshaft somewhere far above and it was built so that the sunlight shone straight down like it was a pillar of light. But Frisk curious wonder at this hidden relic of a bygone age was nothing compared to what she would find next when she finally decided to wander through the entrance and became witness to a sight that left her almost speechless.

"What the hell is this place?"

Cavern would no longer be the correct term for this place. A temple would be a closer descriptor at this point. A massive, beautiful temple in which this one open room Frisk stood in could fit in a 3 story building and still have enough room for dozens of people in it. The temple was built like a large dome very reminiscent of Hagia Sophia, and at the top where the curved walls connected, there was a small hole where sunlight shone through and illuminated the entire garden. The architecture in this place, that being the curved walls and tall pillars, seemed like they were directly stolen from ancient Greek buildings and even had some hints of old Tibetan monasteries.

This marvellous vista made Frisk gasp in astonishment. How no one had found this place before, especially in this current age of constant communication or surveillance, she couldn't for the life of her figure out.

This is incredible, she thought. I've must've stumbled upon some sort of archaeological gold mine. If I ever get out of here, this shit will make me famous.

Then she stopped looking up and looked at the ground ahead of her when she finally saw it. The strange object that stood right underneath the shaft on the roof. The object in question wasn't anything Frisk hadn't seen before, or even anything completely out of place, but rather it was the placement of it and the utter mundanity that made it stand out so much.

It was a single sunflower in a pot, just sitting there.

Finding this immensely curious, Frisk went closer to it and crouched down right in front of it. For the most part, it looked like an ordinary sunflower, not unlike the ones from the flowerbed earlier, but this one seemed much fresher and healthier compared to the other ones.

Whoever lived down here Frisk figured, as it was no longer any question to her whether someone did, must have favoured this single sunflower above the other ones for some reason or another.

Someone must've placed it here, Frisk thought. But who the hell would do that? And why?

For a second, Frisk felt she saw a face in the pistil, but then she looked closer and there was nothing. Frisk simply ignored it as a simple mirage.

"Huh," Frisk said to herself. "Weird."

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!"

"Wha-"

Before Frisk could finish that sentence, a swathe of flame suddenly burst out from the shadows like a dragon breathing fire.

"Oh shi-"

A small fire landed to her side, but it was enough to almost throw her away.

"Gah!"

She quickly stood back on her feet and began to run.

"STOP!" the voice yelled.

It sounded deep and masculine like it belonged to an old man with a great sense of authority.

"COME BACK HERE!"

Frisk felt her fight or flight instinct kick in as she began to frantically run. She didn't have a plan on which direction, she was just wanted to escape. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far since she put all her thought on getting away, she didn't focus one bit on the ground and then she quickly tumbled down after her foot hit a rock.

"Gah fuck!"

Although the ground was mostly soft, her head still hurt when she fell headfirst into it. Her mind became dizzy from the pain. Her head didn't suffer the worst though, unlike her knee which unluckily landed on another set of rocks and caused her perhaps the biggest pain she ever felt so far. Fortunately for her though, the adrenaline in her system dulled the affliction somewhat and Frisk promptly resumed her escape. Or at least she attempted to.

She tried to stand up, only for her to immediately fall right back down again. She realized the wound on her leg seemed worse than she first thought, as Frisk found it impossible to even keep balance on it. Realizing she couldn't run, Frisk began to frantically crawl instead. The fires seemed to come from every direction. She didn't care where she was going, or even that she couldn't stand, Frisk just wanted to get away, away from the screaming voice and countless fires. But then her path became obstructed when a sudden wall of flame formed in front of her.

Too frightened to question the logic of it, she turned on her back and became saw someone standing in front of her. Someone whom Frisk could only assume was the person who attacked her.

She couldn't get a clear look at this person as he stood in the shadows, but Frisk could still see a faint outline of him it due to the two fireballs in his hands which Frisk simply assumed were two little flamethrowers. The figure was of an immensely tall build and was wearing what looked like a long, tall robe, complete with a long fluffy beard and… horns?

Frisk didn't think much of the last part, as she was too busy panicking.

"Jesus Christ mister, I'm sorry!" she frantically said.

"SORRY?" the figure harshly asked. "WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU WERE SORRY? NOW TELL ME, WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO DO TO HIM?

"Nothing, I swear!" Frisk said, not really noticing the figure referring to the flower as "him".

"LIAR!"

"I swear to fucking christ I wasn't doing anything. I simply just went closer to take a look at it! That's all I did I swear!"

The flames in the shadows began to wain a little. The silhouette then seemed to turn to look at the flower in the pot for a moment before turning back to Frisk.

"You… weren't… going to… harm him?"

The voice sounded a lot calmer this time, and Frisk felt she could hear a tinge of regret in it.

"No!" replied Frisk. "Why the hell should I!? I don't even care about your stupid flower!"

The figure became uncomfortably silent.

"Stupid?" he asked.

Oh shit, Frisk thought.

But instead of a fit of rage as Frisk expected, the figure just gave out an amusing chuckle.

"My child," he said. "I understand your immediate dismissal of him. He may not look that much, but I assure you that this not merely a "stupid flower". In fact, he's arguably the complete opposite. This flower… is my son."

Frisk utter terror was almost replaced by a sudden confusion.

"Wha- what?" she asked. "Your… son?"

Holy shit, this guy really is crazy, Frisk thought.

Suddenly, all the flames in the room immediately dissipated as quick as turning off a light bulb. Frisk was so taken aback by it, that she didn't even notice that the figure was now beginning to slowly, but surely walk towards her, until she heard the large thumps coming from his massive feet.

Realizing what he was doing, Frisk began to cover in fear. Judging by his unhinged nature, Frisk couldn't imagine what awful things this seemingly crazy person was possibly planning to do.

But that fear was merely a fleeting moment compared to the absolute terror that came next when she finally got a better look at this person, or rather, creature.

The first thing that entered the light was a big paw. The paw was underneath a long robe, but it was so big in practically stood out and Frisk could almost see it in all its fluffy detail. It looked very much like a lion's paw, but the fur was white like a rabbit's or a goat's. The next thing Frisk saw of this immensely tall yet skinny figure was the purple, flowing robe which she could now see was extremely torn and dirty and must've smelled as foul as it looked. Then came the uncannily human-like hands, and like the paws, they were white and fluffy, and the fingernails were extremely long. Frisk then saw the dirty and unkempt yellow beard that dangled on the robe reminiscent of an old, fantasy wizard.

Then, at last, came the head. A crowning centrepiece that sent shivers to Frisk's spine as it made her realized she was looking at a creature, unlike anything she had ever seen in her entire life. The head was far from humanoid, unlike its hands and was a lot more animalistic like its paws. The closest animal resemblance Frisk could think of was a goat, due to the long white horns and dangling white ears, yet, the head also had the semblance of a lion, with the giant golden beard that looked a bit like a mane, and the goat looking muzzle also looked a bit feline. The strangest thing about it though was the eyes, which was also the only part of the creature that didn't resemble any animals Frisk could think of, but they were almost completely human-like. One blue, one orange, and both wide open. Underneath them were dark marks, like that of a person who hadn't slept in a long time.

The creature looked at the Frisk, not seeming to notice her frightened state, and gave an uncomfortable smile on its muzzle, similar to one of a person who had long forgotten how to be empathetic.

"Howdy," the creature casually said. "I am so sorry. I didn't know."

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Frisk screamed.

The smile on the creature faded and was replaced by a look of utter confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Frisk screamed again. "What the- WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU!?"

The creature looked behind in a state of confusion and then back on Frisk.

"Are you talking about me?"

"Of course I'm talking about you! WHAT ARE YOU?!"

At this moment, the strange creature lightened up as if he seemed to realize something.

"Oh, how could I forget," he said. "I am so sorry. It somehow slipped my mind that most of humanity hasn't seen or heard about our kind for thousands of years."

"Wh-what?" Frisk asked. "Thousands of years? Your kind? Wait… THERE'S MORE OF YOU?"

"Of course," the creature said. "In fact, my kind are millions in numbers, each of different shapes and sizes. We are practically an entire different lifeform, one made mostly of magic. You, humans, had a name for us that might sound familiar to you. You humans used to call us monsters.

"Mo-monsters?" she muttered. "Magic? I… uh… what?"

These sudden barges of information made Frisk almost faint in confusion and shock. The creature noticed her state, seemed to be extremely worried.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," said Frisk, panting. "I-I'm fine. This is just… too much. I- I need a breather."

"All right then," the creature said and a smile returned on his muzzle. "Let's talk about something else. What is your name little one?"

"Wh-why?" Frisk asked suspiciously.

"Just curious?"

Frisk looked at him for a few moments. She found it hard to bring herself back to an ordinary conversation with this creature, while it just stood there patiently and smiled. Eventually though, Frisk managed to resume some train of thought.

"Francisca," she said nervously. "My name's Francisca Esperanza Montgommero. My friends just call me Frisk though."

"Frisk?" asked the creature.

Frisk nodded in confirmation.

"Well, that is a nice name," the creature said. "As for my name. I am… I… am… what was my name again? Strange. I seem to have forgotten. Eh, it doesn't matter."

Frisk looked at him worryingly.

"That's… understandable," she replied.

Thankfully for her, the creature didn't seem to have noticed her semi-sarcastic tone.

"I see you've already met my boy," the nameless creature said and went towards the potted flower underneath the sun shaft. The immense barrage of information from the creature had Frisk almost completely forget about it.

"But something tells me you haven't been properly introduced yet," the creature said while he picked up the flower gently like picking up a newborn. "He doesn't really have a name per se, but these days he goes by Flowey, as in Flowey the flower. Flowey, why won't you introduce yourself to your new friend over there?"

The goat creature smiling stared at the plain-looking flower for a good few moments. Unless you count the flower moving slightly due to the wind that came from the opening above, nothing really happened. Meanwhile, Frisk stared at this bizarre moment feeling a mixture of fright and confusion. Frisk wasn't sure if this kind of weird behaviour that would be considered a sure sign of crazy for humans was completely ordinary for these "monster" creatures.

After a few more moments of silence from the flower, the strange creature chuckled and looked back at Frisk reassuringly.

"I think he's a bit shy," he said. "My son can be that sometimes, especially in the presence of strangers. I hope you understand me, but I'm not going to force him to talk to you if he doesn't feel like it, ok?"

"All right then," said Frisk.

Suddenly, Frisk felt an immense pain in her leg where she fell. She didn't notice it at first because she was too busy being afraid, but now the pain was almost impossible to ignore. She tried to hide it from the monster because she was still a bit afraid of him, but it seemed to worsen with every moment. Frisk realized that she had failed when she noticed that the smile on the creature's muzzle seemed to fade and once again be replaced by a look of worry.

"Are you alright my child?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," said Frisk and then winced in pain.

The creature looked at her with a doubtful expression.

"It doesn't seem fine," he said. "Don't worry though. I think I know a way to make you feel better."

Still holding the flower, the creature began to walk towards Frisk. When Frisk noticed that he was coming towards her, she began to softly panic and crawled backwards.

"Don't be afraid, child," the creatures said gently. "I am not going to hurt you. Gods, I never would have attempted it if I had known any better."

He stopped when he was close enough so that he was practically standing over her, and Frisk saw just how tall and skinny he was. He was so skinny that Frisk could see the outlines of his bone in his anorexic looking hands, and the robe seemed a few sizes too small for him.

Then the creature began to carefully sit down as if his bones were incredibly fragile, which Frisk wouldn't be surprised by. Then he adjusted himself in a cross-legged position and Frisk could feel his dirty, golden beard brushing her leg, and then laid the flower carefully to his side, and gently patted it on it's "head".

"I haven't done this in a long time, to be honest," he admitted while he stretched his clawed hands together and Frisk could hear them crackling uncomfortably. "But I'm sure that I am just as good as I remember."

Then the creature outstretched his palms and let them hover shakingly over Frisk's wounded leg like it was a warm furnace.

"What are you doing?" Frisk asked.

"You'll see."

The creature moved his hovered hand back and forth across Frisk's leg.

Suddenly, Frisk felt a great warmth come from the creature's palm. That was not the strangest part, as Frisk discovered when she looked closer. Some green, alien-looking energy was coming from his clawed hand. Before Frisk could react, the energy had spread from the creatures fingertips like green strings and it slithered worm-like all over Frisk's leg. Frisk began to freak out.

"What are you-"

"Shh child," the creature whispered. "Stay calm and this will be over much sooner."

Frisk didn't know what it was, whether it was the reassuring tone of his voice, a side effect of the green energy or if she had mentally just given up on fighting, but Frisk found herself suddenly no longer resisting. The energy passed through the leather of her jeans and then Frisk could feel it's cool and tickling touch on her skin like dozens of wriggling worms.

Then the green energy vanished in an instant and the creature pulled back his hands.

"There," he said. "All better now."

"Wha-what did you just do to me?" Frisk asked.

"I fixed you," the creature said smiling.

"What?"

Then Frisk felt it. Or rather, didn't feel it. The pain in her leg was gone, and she realized that she was able to move it without any difficulty. She pulled up her pant leg was shocked to find her suspicions confirmed. There was no wounds, no marks, or anything that would have hinted that she had fallen. It was like she was never wounded at all.

"My god," she said in shock. "You fixed it. How did you… wait. Was that… magic?"

"Indeed," the creature said.

Then his smile faded and he immediately looked bewildered.

"Wait, you have never seen magic before?"

"No," said Frisk. "Where I am from, I mean up there, magic is basically a myth."

The creature looked at her like he couldn't imagine that kind of life in the slightest. Then he just chuckled and his weird, somewhat creepy smile returned.

"It's all right," he said. "You'll grow used to it."

"I don't think I ever will," admitted Frisk.

"Well, whatever the case, let's agree to disagree. Oh, pardon me I must be going now. I've just realized it's late and my boy needs to be home for dinner."

Still holding the flower in the pot, the eccentric creature stood up and began to head towards another entrance that was further away, while Frisk just sat there, still trying to process everything that happened. Halfway on its path though, the creature stopped and turned around to look at Frisk.

"Are you coming?" he politely asked.

Frisk was a bit surprised by that question. This creature that she had not only just met, but who also just attacked her was now expecting her to follow him? Normally, Frisk would absolutely refuse following a stranger who recently attacked her without a doubt. But as strange as it sounded, Frisk found this question difficult to answer. Not only was she lost, but she had learned so many things in these past few minutes that turned everything she knew, or rather thought she knew, on its head. Suddenly, she was in a world of magic and strange creatures. In short, Frisk had a dilemma.

The creature looked like it had lived in this place for a long time, judging by his tattering outfit and dirty look, so he must know it like the back of his hand and thus could possibly know of a way out. But to say that Frisk wasn't scared of this so-called "monster" would be an understatement. She was frightened of the possibility that he would lead her to a hidden place so that he could eat her in peace. On the other hand, this creature, while obviously eccentric, appeared to be somewhat nice and seemed to be immensely regretful for attacking her earlier, but that could also just be because he's attempting to lead Frisk to a false sense of security. Whatever the case, she couldn't just stay in this temple forever and so she had to make a choice sooner or later.

In the end, Frisk decided to take the risk.

"Don't think I've got a choice," she said.

She stood up and lightly dusted her clothes.

"All right then," she began. "Lead the way."

* * *

Authors' note:

Wow, that was a long time coming. I know it really took a while, I think about two months, and I honestly don't really have any good reason. I could argue that I was super busy these last few weeks, but I don't feel like that's a good excuse. Even then, I had like an entire Christmas break and I don't think I got much work done then. I guess I just wasn't up to it, but that's a topic for another day. I think the only thing I can say is that... well... I'm sorry, and I hope that I will update much faster this year than the last. I've also decided, as you most likely noticed, to split the chapters into smaller "sub-chapters" so I can upload more and you don't have to wait two months for an update. You might be disappointed to find this to be a bit too short for a two-month hiatus, but I promise you that I have the entire chapter almost completely outlined and I just need to fix up a few things and start writing. I like to see this part as being an introduction to this version of Frisk and what kind of character you should expect from her. If you are wondering, this Frisk is about 16-years-old. Anyway, that's enough rambling. I hope you enjoyed it so far, and I will try to update soon.

P.S. Also, a week ago I commissioned an artist named Atlas-White for an art based on a scene from AHTR. Check it out, it's pretty good:  
carmilliancrown/art/UT-By-the-Campfire-Commission-782313249


	3. The Ruins Part 2

**The Ruins Part 2**

The darkness and dampness of the ruins didn't seem to get any better the further they went. Frisk couldn't see far, so she mostly just tailored a few feet behind the large, goat-looking creature, who still held in both his hands the sunflower he called his son. The creature didn't only seem to not mind the darkness, but also seemed clear on where he should go. Frisk still had her phone up with the flashlight mode on just in case.

Frisk and the creature went up some stairs that led into a half circle, and then they wandered into a small dark room. There was no furniture, or even anything particular about this room at first glance, but then Frisk noticed the big stone slabs on the floor that resembled buttons and an unreadable mural on the wall that seemed to resemble some instructions of sort beside a closed door

"The monsters of old built room like these to ward of humans," the creature began. "It was believed… or at least I think it was… that by using clever and complex puzzles, they could break a human's patience and will, and then the human would simply leave in frustration and/or boredom."

"That sounds kind of far fetched," commented Frisk.

The creature didn't seem to notice her sarcastic response, and he began to walk over the buttons in a vertical line and the closed door quickly opened.

The next room they entered was a bit larger, but still just as dark. What Frisk could see though, was that it had a lot more to it so to speak. There were two small water streams that ran through the room, with tiny little bridges leading over it, and some of the walls had some vegetation covering it. Frisk could hardly see it at first until she shone her light on it, but on some of the walls were small levers which had already been pulled down.

 _Huh, weird_ , Frisk thought to herself.

It was at this point that Frisk's curiosity overwhelmed her.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"This, my dear child," the nameless creature began as if he had answered this question many times before. "Is the remnant of an old place called Home. It was once a great city, a thriving metropolis that was founded shortly after we monsters were thrust and imprisoned within these cavernous depths. But today, these once great halls and streets that bustled with life and monsters of all forms are now mere crumbling memories of gone days, with the only life here besides us being spiders, Whimsums, Froggits, and the occasional stragglers that managed to break in here somehow."

Frisk and the creature now passed through an entrance and entered a small circular room. Frisk tried to imagine what Whimsums and Froggits were and looked like.

"I do admit though," the creature continued. "That I do miss the energy and seeing all the nice folk that used to wander through here, going to work and chatting about recent events. But now they are all gone. Where have they all gone to I wonder? And why have they all gone? These questions haunt me once a day, and yet I have found no answer."

Frisk and the creature had now entered another small hallway, but one with less life in it. There were no streams, and only a few of the walls had any vegetation in it, but Frisk didn't really seem to notice or care this time, as she was too invested in the creature's tale. Frisk wasn't normally the type to pay much attention in class presentations and teachers droning about some history of a place long gone, but hearing descriptions of an old civilization and species she had never heard about or even knew existed until now fascinated her. She could be the first person to hear about this in maybe a long time, and she did not want to waste this opportunity.

"Whatever the case," the creature continued. "I hope that one day they will all return, and my son and I won't have to be so lonely anymore here in the dark. Maybe they will never return. But… now that you are here, Frisk, perhaps we don't have to wait anymore. With you here, we can perhaps build something else… something greater."

This last sentence mad Frisk stop in her track and pulled her out of her fascinated, awed state and into utter discomfort. The may have been trying to be nice to her, but the implication of the last sentence Frisk found hard to ignore.

Was he intending to keep her here? It sounded to Frisk like he was implying that. It could just be that the creature had trouble properly expressing himself, but that still couldn't shake off that uneasy feeling he gave her.

If that wasn't bad enough, the creature was now looking at her and his heterochromic eyes seemed to give off a maddening glare, and his smile didn't really seem to help.

Frisk began to back away from him. Now she just wanted to stay away from the creature as far as she could.

"I, uhh…" began Frisk.

Then the creature seemed to take notice of her disquiet and immediately changed his expression and tone.

"Oh dear lord," he said. "I am so sorry, I have no idea what came over me just now. I guess my longing, my wishful reminiscence of days long past had momentarily taken over me. Frisk, you really don't have to stay with me in this dark and damp cavern if you don't want to. You are a young girl. A fine young girl and you have the power and will to make your own choices in this world, and it should not in my right or power to control them."

Even though his tone spoke of genuine sorry, it was not enough to shake the discomfort out of Frisk.

"Uhh, thanks man but umm," began Frisk. "You've been of great help, I swear, but... I think I am going to go my own way now. I'm sure I've got the gist of this place and I'm gonna just go through these ruins by myself ok?"

"That's not a good idea," the creature replied.

"Why not?" asked Frisk.

"Because!" the creature said with a surprising urgency in his tone. "These ruins are not safe for you. They are not safe for anyone. I regret not informing you about it earlier, but there are other beings here besides the aforementioned Froggits, spiders and so on. There are creatures here. Bad creatures. Other monsters that are much dangerous than anything you have seen or encountered and ones that will not hesitate to take you."

Frisk almost froze in fear after hearing that. Other monsters? Ones more dangerous? But then she felt a bit suspicious as the timing of it seemed a bit too convenient.

"You-you are bluffing," she protested.

"Of course not," the creature said with a hint of sadness in his tone. "I understand your suspicions, but please… trust me."

One part of Frisk wanted to protest, to yell at him, call him a liar, but another part of her wasn't sure about anything anymore because of all the things she had learned just this day, things like the facts that monsters and that magic were actually real, and so she was basically open to anything at this point. Not only that but once again the creature seemed genuinely sorry.

Frisk currently felt a bit ashamed of herself for her behaviour towards the seemingly sorry creature. But then again, was her distrust of this strange and seemingly crazy being unjust?

"If you really want to leave my child," the creature said. "Then I won't stop you. But please, if you do, then I hope you take my warnings seriously."

Frisk was practically trapped between two bad options at this point, a rock and a hard place. It was either to stay with this strange creature she didn't fully trust or to wander alone and blindly through these labyrinthian caves and ruins where god know what lived.

In the end though, after a short while of thinking, she had decided.

"All right," Frisk said nervously. "I'm coming."

The creature's smile returned on his muzzles.

"Then I'll promise that I will keep you safe."

If the creature had attempted guilt her into this choice as Frisk now began to suspect, it had succeeded, but either way, Frisk decided it was the lesser of two poisons. She rationalised it by the fact that she at least recognized him somewhat, and believed she could outrun or outwit him if she could, opposed to the other monsters that she hadn't even glimpsed at. If they existed at all that is. After what she had seen though, she didn't want to take that chance.

They went through another doorway, and the current path now seemed to curve slightly to the right.

"Are you frightened my child?" the creature asked in a gentle tone.

Frisk was taken aback by that sudden question.

"What noooo," she lied. "Of course I'm not afraid, why would I be? You are here to protect me after all right?"

The creature looked doubtful.

"It's all right to be afraid," he said. "It just means you are still sane."

"I promise you I'm fine," insisted Frisk.

She didn't want to tell the truth to the monster exactly because she was terrified. Of this place, of him, of what he might do if she somehow managed to upset him.

"Alrighty then," the creature said and looked back on the path.

Frisk wasn't sure if the tone in his voice meant that he was convinced or not. She tried not to think about it, however.

The pathway now curved back to the left, and they now entered a curious looking room, perhaps the strangest one so far. Almost the entire room was underwater, except for a tiny bridge in front of them that lead to a metallic platform, but that platform was completely covered in dozens of tall spikes that protruded from the ground. They were almost as tall as the nameless creature. Frisk dreaded at the thought that they might have to swim through the pond as she didn't want to think about what could possibly lay in that murky watery abyss.

The creature wandered close the spikes in the centre as if he was going to magically walk through them.

"Some monsters doubted the humans supposed impatience and inadequacy," he said and lightly touched one spike. "They said that we should not underestimate their will, their determination, and so they built puzzles that were more deadly and challenging and ones where if you failed, you could suffer, and even die."

The creature put his hand away, and a small red blood drop ran down his furred hand. It then fell down on the floor, where it instantly vaporized into a small cloud of dust. Frisk saw it happen but didn't think much of it. She was basically not surprised by anything at this point.

The creature turned his head down to face Frisk and put up a reassuring smile on his bearded muzzle.

"But you shouldn't worry though," he said. "My boy and I know these puzzles in and out. I will guide you through them carefully, and you will not have to fear getting maimed or impaled."

"I… I didn't know these were possibilities but ok," Frisk said.

Then the creature went to touch the spikes on the right side, and then suddenly as if on command, they quickly shrank through grates on the floor.

"This is the path," the creature said. "I remember it clearly now."

Then the creature reached out to Frisk with one of his clawed hands, while holding the flower pot with his other.

"Come take my hand," he said. "It's much safer that way."

Frisk hesitated for a bit but then she took hold of the giant clawed hand. The hand felt soft and fluffy, but also incredibly thin. Then the creature closed the hand and carefully squeezed hers, and they began to slowly walk.

The creature guided her through the spikes in a serpentine pattern, where at every step the spikes would make the same sound as they shrank through the floor, but then Frisk looked back and saw the spikes protruding back up when they were out their way.

At literally every moment in this whole ordeal, she feared that the spiked below them would suddenly burst out from the grates below and impale her, despite the creatures complete reassurance that they were going the right way.

After about dreadful 20 seconds that Frisk felt went on forever, they had finally reached the other side. At the moment they did, the creature lightly let go of Frisk's hand, and she immediately put her hand on her knees and began to pant heavily, as she had just barely survived being hit by a malfunctioning car.

"Oh, oh my god," Frisk said in between the panting. "I thought… I thought I was gonna die there. Holy… holy fuck."

"Language my child," the creature gently said.

Frisk chuckled a bit.

"All right," she began. "I guess that's how it's gonna be. Funny you should only say just now though considering I distinctly remember swearing like a sailor when we first met."

Frisk looked at the creature's face and could tell a small hint of surprise in it.

"You did?" he asked and then looked a bit doubtful. "Well, I am very sure that I would have caught on to tha-"

Suddenly, there came a loud clanging sound in the distant.

Frisk yelped a bit in response while the creature looked worryingly in the direction of the sound. The noise didn't come from this room, but it was still sounded close enough to be only a few walls away. It also wasn't anything Frisk hadn't heard before, nor was it particularly loud but in the utter droning silence of the ruins, it might as well be a roaring trumpet.

"What the hell was that!?" Frisk asked frantically.

"Wait, you heard that as well?" the creature asked in surprise.

"Uhh, yeah," Frisk replied.

"Oh well then that must simply be a lose boulder falling on a metal board," the creature explained and for a moment Frisk felt a bit at ease. "Either that, or yet another ghost is prowling about."

"Wait, what?" Frisk asked in utter shock. "Did you just say ghosts? There are ghosts here? They exist!?"

"Of course," the creature said without a hint of jest. "I forgot to mention. Sometimes old specters come to these ruins looking for habitation or simple peace and quiet. I, unfortunately, don't know the reason why."

"Oh god, can we please get out of her?"

"Of course Frisk, if you want to."

"Oh I definitely want to."

"Ok, then let's move on."

And so they continued, and Frisk almost frantically began to tail after him.

"Ca-can you go any faster?" she asked.

The creature stopped as if to collect his thoughts.

"I want to," he replied. "But this is, unfortunately, the fastest I'll go. Any quicker, and I would risk dropping my son. I once did it before, and that was a horrible experience I do not wish to go through ever again."

Frisk decided it was not worth it.

"I see," she answered and they continued their slow traversal, despite Frisk's actual yearnings.

Then they passed through another entrance, and Frisk saw that they were now standing in an extremely long and dark hallway.

"This hallway was once of ordinary sorts," began the creature. "But now, it's dark current state, it's a test of sanity for all who wander through alone. Thankfully I have always had my son here by my side, but many have not been as fortunate."

He took a short pause as if he was just reminded of something very unfortunate.

"Frisk," he continued. "I suggest you stay by my side all the way through this hallway. You should never stray away from me if you value your mind."

"W-way ahead of you," Frisk said.

She was practically shaking at this point.

"Good," the creature remarked. "Then follow me."

After a few moments in the dreaded hallway, the near utter silence of the place finally began to get to Frisk. The only sound she could hear now was her's and the creature's footsteps. She had never been in such a quiet place before, and Frisk wasn't sure whether it was that aforementioned silence of the hallway or if the nameless creature's warning was somehow hitting her harder now, but her surroundings seemed to have somehow gotten exponentially worse despite not really being different from the previous rooms. Then, she noticed subtle distant echoes, and she felt that she could see shadows moving in the blackness. The possibility that there were actual ghosts, and other monsters in these ruins much more fitting of the term, just gave validity to what Frisk would otherwise consider nothing but paranoia.

Trying to find more comfort, she decided to turn her sight and ears to the creature that was guiding her. With nothing else to look at for a few minutes, Frisk noticed loads of things about the strange creature that she didn't at first, including the fact that he was shaking. It was subtle enough so that you wouldn't notice it at first glance, but once she did Frisk found it hard to ignore. It wasn't cold here, or even one bit chilly, which meant that the creature was clearly anxious about something. Possibly due to the other monsters in this ruins, or maybe something he seemed to be hiding. If he shook any more, or if he would accidentally step on the wrong foot, he would most assuredly drop the flower in the pot. Frisk didn't want to be around him if that happened. Frisk wasn't sure if the creature was always shaking like this and that she just hadn't noticed it, or if the creature also seemed to feel the immense dread as she did.

The hallway seemed to go on forever. At this point, she was practically huddled by the creature. Once again though, Frisk's morbid curiosity came back and so she turned her head back to sneak a look at the way they came, while she was still tailing him. It was like looking down at a pit of endless darkness that kept growing and growing the further they went. She shone her phone in that direction, and the light barely reached it.

After a few seconds, Frisk had enough and stopped looking.

"How much further?" she nervously asked.

"Don't worry child, we are nearly there."

Thankfully for Frisk, this was not an exaggeration. Only a few more steps and they had arrived at what seemed to be finally the end of this dreaded hallway, signalled by a brick wall, a small entrance way, and a curious lonesome pillar to their left. They went through the entrance and Frisk stopped to once again take some breaths. The new room wasn't that small compared some of the others they had been through, but it still felt like an incredibly welcome change from the seemingly endless hallway. The new room had a few piles of red leaves, and two obvious new pathways, one straight to her left, and another one further down her right. She looked through the entrance they came from, and could barely see the other end. Frisk smiled in relief.

"Thank god," she said. "I hope there is not another hallway because I really don't want to go through that shit again. Sorry, I know. Language. It's just that I… uhh, mister?"

The creature didn't seem to notice her, as it was too busy seemingly doing nothing but stare at a wall. Confused, Frisk shone her light on it but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"What is it now?" she asked.

"Oh right," the creature began and was pushed out of his sudden daze. "I just remembered something just now. I had completely forgotten about it, but thankfully my son was kind enough to remind me. The thing is, I need to go do something… alone."

The creature looked at Frisk with a saddened expression on his muzzle, and Frisk felt like she knew what he was going to say, and she dreaded to hear it.

"You are going to have to stay here for a while," he said.

Frisk could felt an immense volume of fear fill her stomach. Even though she kind of expected him to say that she still couldn't fathom it.

"What?"

"I'm going to have to go somewhere, alone, for a while. I'm dreadfully sorry, I truly am, but-"

"Are you seriously just going to leave me here? Alone?"

"Yes," the creature said sadly.

Frisk couldn't believe it. She was unsure about this monster, yes, but she was more frightened about the idea of being left alone in this dark, mute place.

"Just take me with you."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

"Why not?!"

"This place in question cannot be accessed or seen by humans. I've done it with other kids before and the place just vanished as soon as they arrived at it."

Frisk line of thought almost halted when she heard that last line.

"I'm sorry?" she began. "Did you just say, other kids?"

The creature looked incredibly confused.

"Did I?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course you did!" said Frisk almost on the verge of yelling. "You…"

Frisk put her hands on her head as she wandered back and forth. There were so many thoughts going on in her head she found it hard to organize them.

"Y'know what," she eventually said. "I am just going to come with you, and if the place vanishes then so be it."

"That can't be done I'm afraid."

"I am sorry old man, but I am NOT just going to stay here ok?"

"I know you are nervous of it but I assure you I will only be gone for about a minute, at most."

But then, without a single hint of irony in his voice, the creature said something completely contradictory to everything he had hinted at so far:

"Besides, it's not like there is anything dangerous in these ruins. You'll be perfectly safe where you are, no worries."

Frisk wasn't sure if she heard him right. Did he just say that there was nothing dangerous? After everything, he had built up?

"But… you just said earlier that there were a bunch of monsters here that wanted to take me."

The creature looked at Frisk like he once again had no idea what she was talking about.

"Did I?" he asked. "Huh, strange. I must have misspoken or something."

"How… how the hell was that a misspeak? You straight up said that there were monsters here that would kill me."

"Trust me, my child," the creature said as he chuckled. "I have made far more embarrassing errors in the past. Now as I said, there is nothing to fear here. There is nothing that can hurt you in these ruins."

Frisk didn't know what to think at this point. Was the creature trying to hide his contradiction, or was this just another example of his craziness? The creature seemed so convincing but he could also just be extremely good at pretending, but it also showed the same confusion when Frisk said he had mentioned other kids. Did he have some sort of terribly short term memory?

 _Just what the hell is going on in his head?_ Frisk thought.

"Y'know what?" the creature suddenly said as if an idea just popped in his head. "If anything DOES happen, just use this to reach me ok, and I promise, I'll come right back to you."

With that said, the creature picked up with one hand (while still holding the flower in the other) a strange object of sorts from underneath his robe, and handed it to Frisk. It was surprisingly heavy so that Frisk almost dropped it when she grabbed it. The object in question was about slightly longer than her two palms, and looked like a large rectangle with what looked like an old school antenna at one end, and was apparently made out of pure metal. On the front, or what Frisk assumed was the front, were dozens of numbers and computer symbols aligned in an order similar to an old cellphone.

 _Wait a minute_ , thought Frisk.

This item _was_ a cellphone. An incredibly ancient one, possibly one of the earliest ever made. Frisk recognized it from seeing it in a history magazine she read once. Frisk felt like an idiot for a moment for not recognising it at first glance, until she realized that she wouldn't have expected to find such an item here. This was an ancient relic of course, but it really old enough to fit into the ancient and medieval feel the entire ruin gave across. Frisk wouldn't be surprised if the creature didn't even know what it was.

"Uh thanks," Frisk said to the creature. "But no offence, but I already got one of those."

She dangled her phone around to get the creature's attention to it.

"Oh no, that's a flashlight," the creature said and smiled. "You are not going to be able to call me with that."

"No it's not," said Frisk. "Nevermind. I guessing you never seen a mobile phone before."

"A what phone?"

"Of course," muttered Frisk.

"Well then," the creature said. "If you can use this strange flashlight of yours to call me, then you might not need mine after all."

Then the creature reached out and grabbed the old phone from Frisk's hand.

"Hang on," she began. "Did you only have one phone?"

"Yes," the creature said. "Why would I need more?"

"And you gave it to me… so that I could call you."

"Of course."

Frisk sighed. She didn't bother to question this strange creature circular logic.

"All right," the creature began. "I think that's enough stalling for now. I really need to go."

The creature began to now walk towards the furthest exit.

"Wait," Frisk called after him. "You didn't give me your number."

The creature stopped and turned to face her direction.

"My number?" he asked.

Frisk sighed.

"Ok, how the hell do I call you?"

"Just use the phone," the creature said.

At this point, Frisk mentally gave up.

"Y'know what?" she began. "If something happens, I am just going to yell instead."

The creature smiled.

"That could do it," he said.

Then he turned away from her and back towards the entrance.

"Now my son," he said and looked at his flower. "Enough fumbling about. Let us go."

Then the creature left walked down the room and towards the furthest exit. Then he turned left and completely vanished from Frisk's line of sight. Frisk huddled down by one corner and began shining the phone's flashlight around the room. There was no sound, or anything resembling life besides the strange piles of red leaves. Maybe there really was nothing there after all. But still, the fear of the other monsters still remained, whether they existed or not.

"Ok," Frisk began. "Don't freak out, don't freak out."

* * *

Author's note:

So here is the next chapter of The Royal Hunt. In this one get to learn more about Frisk and the "mysterious creature" that guides her.  
So this was originally just the first half of a much longer chapter, but as I was writing, I realized that not only finish it in time, but it was also much longer than I anticipated. So I thought of the brilliant idea of simply spitting it in two.

Also here is a much less fun fact:  
It might be a while before the next chapter comes out. It's not because I've lost interest in this story, far from it, but I am going to be busy as shit studying this week, with FOUR tests to prepare for, and a thousand-word essay to finish. That's also partly why I split this chapter in half. Because I didn't want to make you wait for a long time yet again. But once I'm done with the school stuff, I will get back to the story and try to get it out as early as I can. If I had to pick an estimate release date, it would be sometime in early March.

Oh and one more thing:  
To those who are worried from this chapter that this AU is just going to be a beat-by-beat retelling of UT, but with changed roles, don't worry, this is NOT going to be one of those AU's. I am not going to spoil, but I promise you that shortly after Frisk leaves the ruins, the story will go in a completely new route and direction. It's only the first couple of chapters that follow the same formula but after that, it's a complete free-for-all.

Anyway, here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy.


	4. The Ruins Part 3

**The Ruins Part 3**

About 10 minutes had passed and the creature had still not returned. These 10 minutes, while short in hindsight, felt like a gruelling hour in this dark, silent place. Frisk hadn't heard a thing in a while beside her uneasy breathing, and distant cavernous echoes. Even then, she still felt that she wasn't alone.

To make matters worse, Frisk swore that she had sometimes managed to glimpse from her flashlight some silhouettes of what looked like giant frogs about the size of dogs. Were these the Froggits entities the mad creature had mentioned earlier? If so, were they harmless? Frisk figured they must be since the creature had mentioned them far earlier than he did that there were dangers here, but Frisk figured that could just be related to his unnatural memory loss. In fact, nothing she had seen for the last hour or so had been natural.

Frisk was even starting to question whether the silhouettes were even there in the first place. She had read a few things about mental illnesses online before. She didn't know any close relatives that suffered from it, but the cause wasn't always genetics. Could it be that the nature of this place was finally starting to make her crack? In fact, was anything around her real? Were these ancient walls and hallway mere cavernous rocks that manifested as building bricks to her mind in this near impenetrable darkness. Now that she was thinking about it, was the strange, unnatural creature from earlier even real in the first place-

 _No,_ Frisk thought to herself. _He was totally real. I know it. I touched him. I felt him. The texture of the dirty fur. That was too real to be a hallucination. So was the fire he spewed. I could feel its heat. I know I'm not crazy. He HAS to be real. He must be. Oh god. What even is real anymore?_

"This…" Frisk stuttered. "This place is really messing with my head it seems heh."

It was at this moment that Frisk realized she had finally had enough.

"Fuck it," she said and stood up.

Frisk had decided, she wasn't going to stay anymore in this dreadful place, despite the creatures clear order not to move. Didn't he also tell her that she was capable of making her own choices? Then why Frisk still decided to accept his bidding despite knowing that she would literally hate every second of it, she had no idea. Frisk figured she must've pitied the old monster, that madman, but now that he was gone to who knows where with no indication that he was ever going to return, Frisk figured that she was all on her own again.

That is… if she wasn't always alone, to begin with-

Frisk shook that uncomfortable idea from her head again. From here on out, until she would find a more satisfying alternative answer, the creature was real, and even if he wasn't, it didn't matter to her at the moment. Finding a way out was all that did.

She shone her flashlight around and examined the room. There were two entrance ways, one on her left that seemed to lead to a dead end, and one further down right where the creature had headed. Frisk decided to head down that way, thinking that she might catch his trail and maybe catch up with him.

But then she looked around once more to see if she missed anything, and then she noticed from the corner of her eyes, something glittering inside other room. She couldn't exactly see what it was, but to her, there was no mistaking it. There was something shiny in that room.

Frisk figured for a moment that this could maybe be an elaborate trap, but she couldn't resist her curiosity and so decided to take a peek inside before continuing her way.

"My curiosity is going to be the death of me," she muttered.

It was a small room, just about the size of two cupboards, and in the centre of it, on a thick pedestal surrounded by more red leaves, stood a large and rusty silver bowl. Right underneath it, there was something resembling a text carved into the pedestal. Curious as always, Frisk went closer to see if she could read it.

Sadly, most of the text had faded with age, but Frisk could still make out the main gist of it.

Candy, -ke one, it said in old fashioned English.

 _Who the hell would put candy in a bowl in this place_ , thought Frisk. _Must be that crazy monster guy. It wouldn't surprise me, to be honest._

Frisk decided to take a peek into the bowl, but then she hurled back immediately afterwards and put her hand on her nose.

"Gah, fuck me," she said. "Fucking disgusting, ugh"

She only had one glimpse at the candies, but that was enough for her to say no to them.

They looked ancient and mouldy and had an incredibly foul smell resembling a rotting sugary carcass. Frisk could also swear that she saw some flies in it, or at least an insect of sorts.

"Welp," she said. "Don't know what I expected."

Then she turned around and saw something that made her completely stop with fear. In the room where she had just been, there stood now dozens of silhouettes each resembling what looked like massive frogs creatures, each about the size of a small child. The figures "heads" seemed to subtly bob back and forth like a bobblehead, showing that they were clearly not static. To make matters worse, they were all staring at her like they were analyzing her.

To Frisk, there was no mistaking it. These were the same figures she had only glanced at before, and since they looked much clearer now, that could mean that they weren't illusions.

Nervously, Frisk shone her flashlight at them, to see clearly just what these shadows could possibly be hiding.

Fortunately for her, the creatures didn't look nearly as frightening as the build-up had anticipated.

The creatures looked like large frogs with snow-white scales, and on each of their stomachs were what looked like a second, smaller mouth. Now that they were in clear light, Frisk saw that the way they stared at her seemed more like due to ample curiosity than malice like they had never seen such strange being before. If anything, Frisk found them to look somewhat adorable.

But Frisk learned a while ago that looks could be deceiving, so she crept to them with utter carefulness. Some of the "frogs" backed away slowly when they realized she was coming to them.

"It's alright," Frisk said softly. "I am not gonna hurt you."

The creatures seemed to stop after she said that. If they couldn't speak, they could at least understand her, much to Frisk's relief.

 _Finally_ , she thought. _Some other intelligent life here._

When Frisk was close enough the one closest, she kneeled down in front of it.

"Don't be scared," whispered Frisk. "I just want to see if you can help me or not."

The frog said nothing and just croaked.

"Do perchance, know of a way out?"

The frog creature just stared at her and turned its head diagonally like a dog that was utterly confused. Frisk sighed.

"Of course you can't understand me," she said. "Why would you?"

Suddenly there came another clanging sound in the distance, and Frisk and all the frog creatures looked in its direction.

"Goddammit," said Frisk. "That sound again."

Then she turned back to the frogs and became even more nervous, because, whatever the noise was, the frog creatures looked immensely frightened of it. They began to look around themselves anxiously and some croaked frighteningly. Frisk was now scared again. These creatures obviously knew something she didn't.

"Gu-guys? What was that sound?" she asked, even though she was not really expecting an answer.

Then suddenly, the frog creature who looked the oldest judging by its tall size and droopy, elderly looking eyes, stared straight at Frisk and said in an uncannily human voice:

"Leave this place girl. Leave. If you know what's best for you."

This made Frisk more surprised than the clanging sound, so much so that she didn't manage to absorb its message.

"I'm sorry?" she began. "You can talk?"

Then, as if on command, the frogs all began to disperse and hop away from her into any random direction.

"Hey!" Frisk yelled. "What are you doing? Come back here!"

There were so many of them and they were all jumping around so wildly that it was nearly impossible to keep track of them all. But Frisk managed to spot from the wild crowd the old looking one who spoke to her, who was heading alongside a few others down the corridor where the nameless monster went. Frisk ran towards it.

"Hey stop!" she yelled. "I wanna talk you!"

Frisk turned left and through the entrance which led to a smaller corridor. There she saw the frog creatures hopping away in the distance.

"Stop, please. I have so many questions. Can I just-"

Her foot suddenly went through the ground.

"Gah, fuck!"

She looked down at her now trapped foot. Thankfully it didn't get damaged, but pulling it out still proved somewhat of a struggle. Frisk looked ahead and saw the frog creature vanishing in the darkness. Now mixed with utter frustration at her bad luck, Frisk used up all her might to pull it out.

"C'mon!" she said. "My leg's not that heavy!"

Then, like pulling out an old nail, she succeeded, and the grey marble dust ran down her dirty pant leg. But before she could celebrate, Frisk heard and felt an immense rumbling. It quickly became clear to her what was happening. The floor beneath her was now crumbling.

"Oh shit!"

Not bothering to take a breath, Frisk stood up and began to run. She didn't see the floor behind her fall, but she heard it clearly, and when she had reached the end of the corridor, she jumped and landed face first on the hard floor.

"Ouch!"

She turned around to her back and stared at the crumbled floor she had just narrowly escaped from.

"Shit," she muttered. "That was close."

When she had relaxed, Frisk stood up and shone her flashlight down at the newly formed pit. Even with her phone at full power, she could still just barely see the far bottom. There were what looked like piles of leaves there, but Frisk wasn't going to take the chance that they could soften her fall.

"Welp," she said to herself. "Sorry old man. Not getting back there again."

She turned around and shone her flashlight down the empty corridor ahead, and she just remembered how frightening this place was when she was alone. Still though, Frisk stood determined and brave.

"Alright," she said. "Where to now?"

After passing the 15th or so doorway, Frisk had completely lost track of time. All the walls and decors in these labyrinthian ruins seemed to repeat and become a pattern. It was only when she saw walls with large cracks on them that she felt she had made any progress or once or twice when she had entered a large, church sized room with pits and leaves, but these alongside the cracked walls became more infrequent as time went on. On passing the 30th doorway, all the rooms had become completely indistinguishable from one another. One time, Frisk swore that she was basically running in circles.

But as much as frustration was building up in her, that was only boosted by her urge to get out of this place of utter loneliness and terror. Throughout her entire lonesome traversal through these claustrophobic hallways with low ceilings, these empty and sometimes dusty gardens, Frisk hadn't seen a single soul. Not any the strange frog monsters from earlier, or the crazy goat hermit, or even any insects or worms. Just utter nothingness, as if everyone who lived in these halls just went up and vanished. She had tried calling out.

"HEY ANYONE?" she had yelled. "HELLO? BIG MONSTER GUY? I THINK I'M STUCK AN-AND THESE ROOMS KEEP REPEATING! PLEASE JUST ANSWER ME! SOMETHING! ANYTHING!"

She had gotten no response, but Frisk didn't stop until her throat began to hurt.

Frisk didn't hate being alone. She had been so many times of her life. But that was a different kind of lonesomeness where she could still see and fathom the loud bustling of people and cars, the singing of birds and insects. But here, there was nothing. No life and no sounds save for the occasional distant echoes. Nothing. For the first time in her life, Frisk felt that she was truly alone.

Still though, Frisk refused to give up. Refused to simply kneel down on the ground and cry. She knew it wouldn't help her. She believed there was a way out, and she was going to find it.

Then suddenly, as if whatever forces laid out there had answered her crying inward voice, she heard something that gave her much joy. Unlike the distant echoes, this sound came from very close by as if it was only a single room away, but it was what it sounded like that actually gave her joy. It sounded like deep croaking, almost identical to one of a frog. There could be no mistaking it. Frisk had found one of those frog creatures again.

She began to run towards it. She had become so desperate for another life, something she didn't think she ever would. Frisk didn't care at the moment whether it was unintelligent, non-sapient, or anything. She just needed someone, something, anything to keep her company, so much so that she didn't notice the unusual amount of dust on the floor she was stepping on.

"HEY THERE!" she yelled "I NEED YOUR HELP! PLEASE JUST STAY THERE, I NEED TO-"

Then she turned the corner and saw something pretty unusual, or at least unusual compared to what she had begun to expect. It was yet another of those frog creatures, but this one seemed immensely different, and a bit more frightening. Not only was it grotesquely fat, but its eyes looked dead and bloodshot like a zombie. The mouths, that being the "main" one and the little one on the stomach were overwhelmingly brimming with pale dust, so that a decent volume of it began leaking down them alongside the dripping saliva, like a bucket overfilled with snow.

The way the creature stared at her, with hunger in its coal black eyes, made Frisk regret immensely in revealing herself by shouting.

"Hu-human," it croaked.

Frisk backed down in terror.

"I-I'm sorry," she said. "I think I mistook you for someone else."

The frog's saliva seemed to increase.

"Hu-hungry," it croaked and sounded almost as frightened as Frisk. "Pl-please help me. Th-this hunger… it never ends. It just doesn't end."

"Th-that's too bad," Frisk began. "But sorry. I-I don't know how to help you."

The frog's expression seemed to suddenly change into utter sadness.

"I think you do," it said.

Frisk didn't like the implication of that sentence.

"I-I'm sorry," she said. "It was nice knowing you mister… but I think I need to go now."

The frog noticed her backing away.

"Please," it begged. "I want to try. Try to see if it would satiate me. Please. Just a foot. That's all I will ask of you."

Frisk began to back away faster.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Then she turned around and began to run away.

"Hey, HEY GET BACK HERE."

Suddenly, dozens of small, white, spiky spear looking things materialized in the air in front of her.

"What the hell!?"

Then the spikes began to fly at her like homing missiles, and in a hasty decision, Frisk turned back around. The fat frog stood still there and had a groaning face like it was constipated. The missiles were no mere coincidences, Frisk figured. The frog was some sort of sorcerer.

"You- you are not getting away," it said, and even more spikes materialized in front of it.

Before Frisk could react, the spears flew towards her in an unnaturally high speed, none of them hitting her, but enough to send her completely off balance and fall on her back.

"Gah!"

She hit her head on something falling down, causing immense pain and her vision to get incredibly dizzy. But just as her vision got better, Frisk saw that the frog was on top of her.

She screamed, and pushed it away from her with surprising ease despite the monster's size, but then there materialized something heavy which pulled her back down. She looked at her arms and saw something resembling white bricks holding them down. Then, with utter fright and a growing feeling of hopelessness, she looked back on the fat frog, whose mouths were still filled with falling dust, as it hopped back towards her.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Frisk yelled.

"I'm so sorry," the frog said as it jumped back on top of her. "But you left me no choice. I am really, honestly sorry about this, believe me. But I am just so hungry, and you're the only living thing with matter I've seen in years. You could be just the key I need. I promise I will be quick, but I cannot promise that I will only stop at the foot. I would like to apologize a whole lot preemptively, but I might end up eating you whole. Please, forgive me."

Then the frog turned her leg, and with its upper mouth licked its lips.

"Pl-please don't," mutter Frisk.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Suddenly the room lighted up by a distant fire. Frisk knew what it was, and her heart was instantly filled back with hope. It was the large goat monster, who left her behind, and he stood in the room, both arms filled with orange flames, and his blue and orange eyes shining unnaturally bright, and his face was filled with rage. The fat frog looked at the old creature and its white face became immensely filled with a fearful expression that said: "not him".

The frog hurriedly jumped of Frisk and tried to hop away the best it could. The nameless creature fired dozens of small fireballs in its direction, to the point of almost burning the room up, and just as the fat frog began to think it could maybe escape, it was hit point blank by a large hurling fireball that sent it almost flying of its balance. The fire quickly engulfed the poor frog creature, and it let out an unnatural screech, unlike anything Frisk had heard of before, and then it fell down limp on the floor. Then there flew some weird, grey energy from its charred body, and when the fire quickly faded, the charred remains crumbled into dust, completely unmistakable from the ones it's mouths were filled with earlier.

Frisk laid on the floor and panted heavily, as she watched the tall monster walk towards the newly formed dust pile, and then pick up some with his palm to examine. She also noticed that the immense weight on her had vanished. Frisk looked at the arms and saw no white bricks or anything that suggested they had been there. Frisk sighed in relief and looked back at the large monster.

"Th-thanks," she said.

She didn't bother being angry at him, especially since he had just saved her. Then the creature, seemingly not having taken notice of her gratitude, turned towards Frisk with an angry look in his face.

"What did I tell you!" he said, sounding almost on the verge of yelling.

Frisk was taken back immensely by that.

"Wh-what?"

"Didn't I tell you to stay?" the creature continued. "Stay exactly where you were? So that things like this wouldn't have happened?"

Frisk couldn't fathom it. This monster was angry at her? When he was the one that left her alone? Now, all the anger and frustration Frisk felt towards the monster came running back to her. He didn't deserve to be angry towards Frisk. Not for what he did.

"He-hey wait just a minute!" she protested and stood up. "Are you really questioning me? After all the shit you pulled?"

"Language!" the creature said harshly. "Do not speak back to me like that!"

"Oh shut up!" Frisk said. "After what I've been through I think I at least fucking deserve to do that much!"

"Language!"

"Ok first of all," Frisk began. "Where the hell did you go that was so important to leave me behind for so long, I honestly feel like I deserve to know!"

"It was not important!" the creature insisted. "What was important was for you to stay! Instead, you disobeyed me with you utter impatience!"

"U-utter impatience? I'm sorry, but you were gone for a long, LONG time. I don't know how it works to your people, but most humans my age aren't keen on staying alone and defenceless in utter fucking darkness."

"Hey, language!"

"Oh stop with that!" Frisk angrily said. "You are not my dad, and even if you were, is that really your fucking priority here? My language? Not you trying to help me get out of this hellhole where I remind you, I almost got killed?"

"That's only because you didn't stay still exactly as I asked you to!"

"What the- what the fuck did you think I would've done back there? You fucking left me behind back there! Alone! In a place with god knows how many monsters and NOTHING to defend me with! Besides, didn't you just say that there were dangerous monsters her?"

Frisk pointed at the pile of dust that used to be the frog.

"The what the hell is this then!"

"Tha-that was a rare exception."

"Then why the hell wasn't I allowed to move?" Frisk yelled. "Are you that paranoid over the smallest things? Besides, didn't you also say that I was allowed to make my own choices, or did you just suffer another convenient memory loss about that?"

"It's not that I don't want you to make choices," the creature said and his tone of anger was beginning to sound more like desperation. "But you could have gotten hurt! You could have fallen in a crevice or be attacked by random strangers, which may I remind you, is exactly what happened! You could have been killed! Gods, I dread to think what would've happened if that happened. A child dead under my watch, and… and… it would've been _my fault_. Be- because I didn't take care of them hard enough, because I left them alone. Because I… I..."

The creature became suddenly silent as if every light inside of him was turned off.

It was then that the creature did something that Frisk did not expect from him in the slightest. He was beginning cry. There was no doubt about it. Dozens of tears were running down the creatures furry cheek and down his golden beard.

Frisk didn't know what to think now, as her irritation toward the seemingly controlling monster seemed to be slowly being replaced by pity and empathy.

"I-I'm sorry mister," Frisk said calmly. "I didn't mean to-"

Suddenly, the creature leapt into her and hugged her tight.

"What are you- hey let go of me!"

The creature was now weeping, and Frisk felt the gigantic tears run down her hoodie.

"Let me go! Let.. me…"

Frisk began to slow down in her struggle against the creature's grasp when she began to finally hear the creature's words through all his loud sobbings.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," the creature muttered. "I left you. You could have been killed because I left you. I'm so sorry. You were right. I should not have done that. I should have taken you with me. I was so stupid to leave you all alone out there. Oh, gods. Why did I-"

Frisk couldn't believe it. She was feeling for this creature. The same creature that she was terrified of just a moment before, and one she just barely knew. But in this strange, perhaps overacting moment on the creature's part, Frisk felt that he was strangely human. Instead of the frightful, untrusty and mad creature she had come to recognize, she began to consider whether she was being hugged by a sad and lonely old man, that although crazy and unsure how to properly behave, seemed to have a good heart concealed behind terrible decision makings and awful word choices. Or at least, that's what Frisk currently felt, outside of the uncomfortable tightness of the creature's incredibly strong embrace.

"Hey, hey," she said in a calm voice. "It's ok. It's ok."

After a short while, the creature let go and Frisk found herself finally able to properly breathe again. The creature wiped the remaining tears from his heterochromic eyes with the back of his hand.

"Sorry about that," the creature said. "A bit of an overreaction on my part. I just wanted you to know I was sorry and-"

"It's fine, it's fine," said Frisk. "I mean you're right, it was totally an overreaction, but that's fine, that's completely fine. At least I think I understand you better now, I guess."

The creature chuckled.

"I should get going now," he said. "It's getting late. Do you want to come with me or…"

"Right back at you," replied Frisk.

And so the two of them walked together again.

"Hey," began Frisk. "Sorry about lashing out at you back there."

"Nah, don't be," the creature said. "You had every right to be angry. I know that now."

"Ok then," replied Frisk. "Whatever you say, old man."

The creature chuckled again.

"Y'know," he began. "You kind of remind me of a daughter I had actually. She… wait a minute. Daughter? That's not right. They were a boy, weren't they? A boy, yeah. I had two sons… I think. Wait. Are they even mine?"

The creature noticed Frisk confused expression and realized he was rambling again.

"Bah," the creature said and smiled. "Such needless details. They tend to… well, slip my mind sometimes."

Frisk chuckled. She was getting used to his eccentricity and weird memory losses.

"So um," began Frisk. "Where is this other son, or daughter or whatever at now?"

The creature smile waned as if he had just remembered something he didn't want to talk about.

"I do not know," he said simply. "Maybe they've gone home. Maybe they're far away, or maybe they never existed in the first place. I simply just don't know anymore."

"Oh, well sorry for asking."

"Nah, that's ok."

Suddenly, Frisk just realized something was missing.

"Hey speaking of children," she began. "Where the hell is your flower- er, I mean your son at?" she asked.

"Oh I brought him home actually," the creature said and his smile instantly returned. "I figured he would be bored staying with me, wandering around all day, so I dropped him at our home on the way here."

"Oh," began Frisk. "So where is this home exactly?"

"It's very close by in fact," the creature said. "Just right pass this corridor."

Then the two of them walked over a small patch of grass that had grown on the ground, and turned to a passage to the left, over another patch of leaves. Suddenly, they were in a large open room, with the ceiling being cavern walls far above them. The first thing Frisk saw of note in it was a large, singular dead tree in the centre that was clearly intentionally planted a long time ago. All the leaves had fallen off it, so it looked like there was a red circular bush around the stump. But it was what was behind the dead tree that was of much more interest to Frisk.

It was a cosy and small house made of bricks, looking like it had been built in, and sculpted out of the old ruins. There was only one floor, with two windows in front with dozens of red leaves underneath each one.

Just looking at this place gave Frisk immense comfort. It gave her nostalgic feelings of old, comfy cabins she used to visit when she was very young, away from the loudness and busyness of her old city. She had almost forgotten this hidden realm of calmness and solitude, but the old looking walls, the small empty garden and the clean air dragged those memories back from the depths of her subconsciousness. This place, in short, made her feel calm.

"Welcome," the creature began. "To my home."

* * *

Author's note:

Once again, sorry for the wait. Honestly, I expected me to finish this part much later.

I don't have much to say now. I will mention that perhaps my only downside with fanfictions, and that maybe relates to most fanworks in general, is that there are not any editors of sorts involved to help you out. Some of you may know that I fancy criticism as long as it's constructive, but in the chaotic world of fanfiction, nothing of the sort is there. Of course, editors aren't necessary in this hobby, but for aspiring writers such as myself, it basically means that I have to much boring work once I've "finished" the story, which boils down to reading the draft back, fixing any errors or things I don't like, and then copy paste it into Grammarly since Google drive doesn't support it for some reason, and THEN going back and formatting the story, putting in current fonts, and so on. But even then, there does occasionally slip through the crack some errors that I don't notice until I run over the stories after I have already published them and I think to myself: "Why the hell didn't I notice this before?"

Anyway, am I rambling? I think I'm rambling now. Eh, whatever. For now, just enjoy the story (or don't, I'm not forcing you) and hope you stay for the next.


	5. The Ruins Part 4

**The Ruins Part 4**

Unfortunately, the interior of the monster's home proved to be much more disappointing than the exterior. Like the tunnels, it was very dark and it was hard to see. Thankfully though, there were dozens of candles placed throughout which the large monster promptly lighted using his fingers. The next thing he did was light the fireplace in the living room, and the sofas and table brightened up with an orange hue, like from an evening sun. Now that Frisk could see much clearer, the felt that the place looked a bit better, but only for the most part. Also, other less visible issues now popped up in the light. Frisk saw that the wallpapers looked old and lifeless, with some tearing off or falling into a state of rot. There were cobwebs at almost every corner, and the wooden floor creaked uncomfortably with every step. What was worse, as Frisk soon noticed, was that in the hallway, there were missing planks that had been evidently been ripped out.

The few pieces of furniture that were in the house, while dusty and unclean, looked the most competently made things so far. But they also looked dull and colourless and were nothing you'd be surprised find in an ordinary home. They were mundane things like cupboards in the hallway and table and chairs in the living room. The only extraordinary thing of note was the potted sunflower that the monster kept calling his "son", which was now placed in one of the two sofas in the living room, rather than on a solid surface like a cupboard or a windowsill like any sensible person would place it.

"Now then, how do you like it?" the creature asked as they stood in the living room.

Frisk stayed quiet for a few seconds before she answered. She didn't want to upset him, but she also found it hard to hide her disappointment.

"Well, it uh… looks alright," she said.

Then she saw the smile starting to wane of the creature's muzzle.

"Bu-but with some small changes and a bit of hard work," she hastily added. "This place could become something special I think."

The creature smile returned.

"Well that's good to hear," he said. "Well, I'll be in the kitchen then. Do you like pies?"

"Uh, yeah I like pies," she said.

Frisk was kind of taken aback by the randomness of that question but she decided to play along.

"What kind?"

"Umm, all kinds I guess. I honestly rarely have one so I guess I'm open to anything."

The creature became thoughtful for a moment.

"Do you like…" he began after a while. "Cinnamon or butterscotch perhaps?"

"Uh yeah," replied Frisk. "Cinnamon or butterscotch sounds good."

"Ok, then which one do you prefer? Should the pie be made of cinnamon or butterscotch? Maybe a bit of both?"

"Both sounds good."

"Well, then it's decided."

A smile widened on the monsters muzzle.

"Well I'll be in the kitchen then," he said and walked away.

Once he was in, Frisk heard the sound of rumbling through cupboards and a soft hiss of gas.

 _There is a working oven in a place like this?_ she thought.

"Now I honestly don't think I'll live up to my wife's cooking!" the creature yelled from the kitchen. "But I'll try my hardest at least! Make yourself at home in the meantime! Look around, play in the garden, do whatever you kids fancy these days! I'll call you when it's ready ok?"

"Whatever you say!" Frisk yelled back.

She sat down in the unoccupied sofa that had grown warm thanks to the flaming fireplace. She looked around. Frisk felt the place didn't look half as bad now that she wasn't getting somewhat used to it.

 _At least it's not the freaking hallways_ , she thought.

She examined the sunflower that "sat" on the sofa chair opposite her. The orange flames from the fireplace returned familiar colour and light to the flower.

Frisk felt that this flower was perhaps the strangest aspect of the monster when it came to personality. There was nothing about it that made it stand out from other sunflowers, yet the monster seemed utterly convinced that this one was his son. Frisk couldn't figure out why. Perhaps it was just a delusion on the monster's part, possibly brought out by the immense loneliness of these ruins. But why this flower in particular? Frisk considered that maybe it was already put into a pot when the monster found it.

Or perhaps, as crazy as it would normally sound, maybe this flower really was his son. Maybe he was cursed and transformed by a witch or the like and the monster knew. Maybe these monster creatures just sometimes give birth to sunflowers, or maybe these monsters start like this until they grow into something else. Could it then be that the dozens of sunflowers she landed on earlier were also children? If that were the case, were they sentient? Is this singular sunflower in the chair sentient?

As Frisk kept staring into the flower and began to notice every detail of the leaves and the pistil, a strange sensation crept up from the back of her head. She didn't know why but staring at this flower slowly filled her with dread, and a touch of… _sadness_? Frisk peered closer. There was something about it, she was sure now. Then she felt something else. A very unusual, dreadful feeling. The reason why, Frisk found it hard to fathom, but it was if… the flower was calling to her-

"Hey Frisk!" the monster yelled from the kitchen. "I just realized I'm out of butterscotch, and it's too late to run to the store! I am dreadfully sorry but is it ok if I skip the butterscotch and just bake a cinnamon pie?"

The sudden disruption of the eerie quietness pulled Frisk from her the depths of her thoughts.

"Uhh yeah!" she yelled. "Cinnamon pie is ok?"

"Ok good to know!"

Now that she was back to reality, she looked back at the flower and saw nothing of note. She had no idea why she was so hypnotized by it for a moment.

 _It's just a dumb flower_ , she thought and stood up.

She began to examine a nearby bookcase. Frisk felt somewhat bored now, which she still considered being a somewhat upgrade from feelings of utter dread. There was no internet signal to speak of, and the few books in the bookcase were unfortunately either mysteriously burnt up, illegible, or in a language completely alien to her. The only exception was a boring, old book that was nothing but a study of snails. The disappointment felt immeasurable to Frisk, as she now dearly wanted to learn more about monsters and the history of this strange new lifeform.

Frisk left the living room, wanting to explore the rest of the house. There were 3 other doors in the hallway and a staircase that lead down to what looked like a basement. She careful crept down the hallway as she felt the creaking floor could crack open with any large step, and also because she didn't want to step into any of the holes formed by the missing planks. The first two doors were unfortunately locked, and Frisk expected the third and last one to be another disappointment Fortunately for her, the door was open.

"Third time's the charm," she said to herself and wandered in.

The monster had evidently not been in this room since they got here since there were no candles making it pitch black. Not one to let much get in the way of her desperate curiosity, Frisk picked up her phone, turned on the flashlight and shone it around. This room was obviously a bedroom of sorts, possibly belonging to the large monster judging by the massive bed to the right and the large desk with a singular drawer to her left. There was also a large bookcase, which unfortunately proved to be empty.

Then she shone her light on the desk, and there was something on top of it which instantly caught her attention. She thought it was a large, painting canvas at first. Then Frisk shone her light on it and saw it. This was a map. A handmade map that was most likely drawn by the monster. Not only that but judging by the labyrinthian structure of the pathways and buildings, this was a map of the ruins. Frisk became almost overjoyed by this discovery.

 _This is it_ , she thought. _This could be the key to getting me home. I guess I should maybe tell the monster guy first. Kinda starting to feel bad for him_.

Growing more curious, Frisk opened the drawer of the desk, hoping to find something else of interest, which she did. It was a large diary which had evidently been used recently judging by how little dust covered it. Frisk checked outside the door and down the hallway to see if the monster was coming. She saw no signs of him, but distant burning candles. And so she sat down and began to peruse the diary, gently flipping pages as to not accidentally tear it.

The first thing Frisk noticed was that the first half of the book was torn out. Whoever did wasn't subtle or careful about it either, as there were dozens of ripped residues left hanging inside. It was like the pages were ripped out in a rush.

Whatever content was left almost didn't prove much of interest. Most of the entries followed similar patterns, in which they started with some coherent, although a bit clumsy, sentences written in pitch black ink. All of the entries started with the sentence "nice day today" and then they went into describing in quick successions the same mostly mundane activities of waking up, eating breakfast, grooming the sunflower, and then just perusing around the ruins. Frisk would have found it uninteresting, and most likely would have forgotten it instantly after putting it away, if it wasn't for the fact that in almost each and every entry, the sentences became more and more incoherent until they completely devolved into chaotic squiggles, like the author had a stroke or suddenly began to freak out. From the little that Frisk could read near the end of the entries, just before they became illegible, she could see that there was always mentions of the monster waiting for someone. Like it would say something like him hoping that "he or she" would appear today or that today would be a good day for "him or her" to appear. The way it was phrased didn't make it clear whether the monster even knows who he's waiting for.

The last entry was the only one that didn't turn illegible, but that was only because it was half finished, most likely because it was for the day today. Even then, there were some signs of the writing getting worse and uneven by the last sentence.

Feeling mostly disappointed, Frisk carefully closed the small book and put it into the drawer which she then promptly closed. She went back out to the hallway and stared down it. There was only one place she hadn't checked yet, and that was downstairs. Frisk carefully crept down the hallway again, and once again the floor creaked with every step. She wondered on her way how so little of the floor had broken so far, considering the owner of the place must weigh a lot judging by large his size and build.

Once Frisk had reached the staircase, she looked down it and immediately learned what happened to those missing planks on the floor. On the end of the staircase was a singular door, and for some strange reason, the door was boarded up closed with the missing planks, as if to keep something in… or out. The planks weren't nailed though, rather they were kept up with dangling, grey duct tape.

 _Either he doesn't own nails_ , Frisk thought. _Or he's too unstable to operate them properly. Don't know which one is more likely_.

"Oh there you are my child," the creature said.

Frisk looked towards his direction and saw that he was standing in the living room doorway and had dozens of white and brown stains on his robe.

"I couldn't find you where I last put you," he said. "I was afraid I might have to go look through the entire ruins again."

"Do you… not have an apron or something?" Frisk asked.

"Oh."

The creature looked down on his now unclean robe.

"Eh it washes off," he said. "It always does. Oh and by the way, I came to inform you that the pie is almost ready. It just needs a little while in the oven and then it's good to go."

"Ok I'll be right there," Frisk said and looked back at the door.

The creature seemed to notice the way she examined it and smiled in a way like he was reminded of someone, someone who used to do the exact same thing Frisk was currently doing.

"Curious about this door my child?" he asked gently. "Heh, I would be too if I were you. But with all my heart, I advise that you will never, ever try to open it."

"Why?" asked Frisk. "What's down there?"

The creature went behind Frisk and put both his hands on her shoulders. Then he looked at the door for a while as if he was thinking how to proceed. The smile on his snout was gone.

"Down there..." he began. " _Lay only the evilest things ever dreamt up from the dark deep imaginations of the most wicked monsters_. An amalgamation yours and anyone's worst possible fears and nightmares made manifest. Famine, war, death, chaos, disease. Countless things a wicked soul can possibly think of. I have seen countless of friends, families, _children even_ , let their curiosity best them and walk through there. None have returned."

Frisk stood still and listened at the door. There were no sounds. Nothing resembling stirs or movements.

"Can't hear anything," Frisk said.

"Ahh, that's the thing about evil," the creature said. "It's quiet, it's subtle. It grabs hold of you when you least expect it, and then, more often than not, it will be too late to do anything. You see, it wasn't this bad when we first arrived here, believe me. It was barely noticeable in fact, otherwise, I never would have made it my home. But through the years it has grown and grown even beyond my wildest fears. So I boarded it up, hoping that the tightness of the corridors would stop its growth and that no soul would ever again try to enter. Although, I do shudder when I consider, that my actions might turn out futile and that one day it will grow so large, that it will burst through these barriers and swallow us and the whole world whole."

"Alright," said Frisk, trembling. "If it's so bad then why haven't you destroyed it."

"Destroyed it?" asked the goat creature. "Oh, my dear child. If only it were so simple."

Suddenly, the eerie atmosphere was interrupted by a sudden ding sound. Evidently, a microwave had just finished baking something.

"Oh," the creature said. "That must be the pie. You know what? I think we should just forget about this door for the time being and move our thoughts on filling up our empty stomachs with some delicious pie, don't ya think?"

"Uhh, yeah that sounds great."

"Alrighty then."

And so the creature went away to the kitchen, after wiping off the stains on his shirt with one hand. Frisk stayed behind and stared at the door for a good while. She was now terrified of it, but Frisk kept staring and listening out of morbid curiosity, hoping to catch some stirs or creaking or simply anything that could give her a hint, but she felt nothing. But Frisk found the stillness of it somehow more frightening.

"Are you coming Frisk?" the creature called from the kitchen. "You don't want your pie to get cold do you?"

"Just a minute!" Frisk yelled back.

She glanced at the door one more time and then left to the living room, trying her hardest not to think about it.

* * *

Authors note:

So once again, here is another chapter that was originally one until it was split in two due to unexpected length. I am sorry if you find it too short or disappointing, but I promise you that in the next one a lot more development begins happening. Also, the next chapter is practically half finished so it will come pretty soon. It's also one of my favourite chapters so far, so that might hype things up a bit.

I don't have much else to say TBH. Just enjoy this fic, or not, and I hope you guys stick for the rest.


	6. The Ruins Part 5

**The Ruins Part 5**

On the large living room table, there now stood a large and brown bread like object surrounded dozens of small candles formed in an irregular pattern. Occupying one seat was the strange potted flower. Frisk took a seat by one end of the table and examined the ugly thing, which Frisk could only guess was supposed to be the pie. It looked closer to a burnt, circular loaf of bread, clearly not meant for eating. Despite not really expecting much, Frisk still found herself disappointed.

"Is that the pie?" she asked.

"Of course," the creature gently said. "What else would it be?"

"I dunno," Frisk replied. "Looks more like burnt toast."

"Well in any case, why don't you try it out? It's good."

He took out a large, dull kitchen knife and slowly carved out a slice. Then he put it on a small, unclean plate and let it slide across the table towards Frisk.

She then stared down at the dark brown object on her plate. Up close, it looked almost identical to dirt. Suddenly, this filthy thing on her plate brought back dozens of memories of old fairy tales with monsters and their unfavourable choice of food, and Frisk was now starting to feel apprehensive again.

"What's in it?" she asked the monster.

"Oh, just sugar, cinnamon, that kind of stuff," the creature replied. "You don't… like those sort of things?"

Frisk looked at him doubtfully.

"Any other ingredients you forgot to mention?" she asked. "Anything of… the human variety perhaps?"

"Oh no none at all," the creature reassured. "Try some. I hope it's good."

Frisk hesitated again, but then she noticed how the creature seemed so proud of his little creation. Also the large, almost fake, reassuring grin on his muzzle seemed to yell, "please". And so, Frisk decided to take the monsters word for it, despite all that her instincts were telling her.

"Alright," she said.

She picked up a small dirty spoon and prepared herself for the "pie".

"It can't be that bad right?" she mumbled under her breath.

She carved out a spoonful and felt how the inside seemed much softer than the exterior. Frisk let the bite hang on her spoon a bit, at examined the way it seemed to softly drip down on the table like mud.

 _Here comes the aeroplane_ , she thought and put it in her mouth.

Frisk gagged. It tasted more putrid than it looked, the way the dry bits mingled in her mouth alongside the mud like, semi-liquid that filled the insides made her feel like she was eating dirt mixed with mud. Either that or a long expired cookie found in some unclean back alley.

"Oh god," Frisk said with her mouth full.

She couldn't help herself. It tasted so awful, she couldn't get herself to be the least bit polite about this. The creature was beginning to take notice.

"Is it not good?" he asked with a worrying expression.

"No, no, no, it's fine," Frisk lied. "It's fine. It's perfectly alright. I just… I just ate it wrong its all. It's fine, see?"

Then she put another spoonful of the moist dirt into her mouth and she gagged again.

"See!" she said while attempting not to spit it out. "Perfectly alright!"

"It don't look alright," the creature said. "It's fine. You can be honest with me. If you don't like it, then I won't get upset."

Frisk gagged again and hurled the half eaten piece back onto her plate.

"Oh god I'm sorry," she said and cleaned her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Don't be," the creature said. "You were honest. That's what's important."

"Uhhh, ok," Frisk replied.

"In any case," the creature said. "I think I have something that's possibly much more to your liking. My boy Flowey will just eat the rest of the pie. I'm sure he's gonna love it."

Frisk glanced at the plain, empty sunflower.

"Yeah I hope he does," she said with the faintest hint of sarcasm.

The creature stood up.

"Well just stay here for a while, I'll be back in a moment," he said and headed to the kitchen.

Once he was there, Frisk could hear the rumbling through cupboards and closets as if the creature was hurryingly looking for something.

"Now I don't think I'll ever match my wife's cooking!" he yelled from the kitchen. "Now there was a great chef! Absolutely spectacular! She made some of the best pies, much to the envy of the other folk! Ahhhh, can't wait for when she comes back home!. Home from... wherever she is now, Hope it's soon though because I'm slowly starting to forget her!"

 _Well, that's sad_ , Frisk thought.

Suddenly, she noticed something curious about the creature's saying.

 _Hang on, could this wife maybe be the person he said he was waiting for in the diary?_

"But since she is not here!" the creature continued. "I guess we just have to make ends meet! Now, where is it… aha, here it is!"

He back came from the kitchen, holding something that looked like a large doughnut, and placed it on Frisk's plate. The doughnut looking thing was obviously not of the creatures making, as it looked a lot more polished and well made. Frisk felt completely enamoured by it.

"This looks good," she said. "One of your wife's cooking I'm guessing?"

"Oh, I wish it was," the creature replied. "This piece of pastry was actually made by spiders in fact."

"I'm sorry what?" Frisk asked in confusion. "Did you just say spiders?"

"Oh yes, spiders," the creature said without a hint of irony within him. "They are charming little creatures. Innocent and can be found almost everywhere here in the ruins. But they are also not very bright and are easily fooled. Very easily on fact. One day I ran out of money during my monthly visit to them. So you know what I did? I tricked them by giving them a crown made of pure gold and all they gave me was this single doughnut."

The creature chuckled proudly.

"Heh, silly little creatures. Such an object is worth more than a king's ransom, but to them, it was no more worthy than a single penny. I still laugh about that moment till this day."

"Uhhh… yeah," Frisk said. "You sure showed them."

She decided not to wrap her head around yet another of the monster's twisted logic and instead turned her attention to the doughnut that sat in front of her.

The circular bread was ink black, and the thick glaze was coloured purple complete with a black overlay that formed a spider web pattern. Frisk took a small bite, just to check it. The black coloured dough was soft, and the thick glaze melted in her mouth and filled it with a sweet sugary flavour.

"Oh my god, this is so good!" Frisk exclaimed, and the creature smiled in relief.

Frisk wasn't sure if the doughnut was actually that tasty or whether or not it was just so compared to the "pie" she had from earlier, but whatever the case, Frisk didn't care and quickly took another bite. This time however she felt herself bite something hard and small with a strange juice interior. Frisk hoped it was some sort of chocolate chip.

"Well that's good you like it," the creature said in excitement. "Very good, very good indeed. Well, I'll keep it in mind the next we'll have a treat like this. Whenever my son here wants some pie, I'll just jump on out of here and visit the spiders for a moment. Just for you."

Frisk smiled. Maybe this monster wasn't so bad after all.

But as much this moment fancied her, there was something biting her mind. Something, she felt needed to be discussed.

"Uhhh old man?" Frisk began with a full mouth.

"Yes?" the creature asked.

Frisk swallowed the bite.

"Look, man," she continued. "I appreciate what you're trying to do here, I really do. But the thing is… I barely know you, and I kinda wanna go home."

The creature looked bewildered.

"Home?" he asked as if he didn't understand that word.

"Yeah home," Frisk replied. "You know, where I am from? Up there?"

She pointed upwards with one hand.

"The surface?" she continued. "Like I said, you're nice and all, but I have some things to do. I have some people up there and…"

She paused for a while.

"I have some people that are waiting for me. I don't want them to needlessly worry, and I can't contact them with my phone for some reason. I have to let them know I'm fine and things like that. But I promise though, I will try to visit you as much as I can. Once a month, at least. I swear, and I promise I won't tell anyone else about this place if you'd like that."

The creature leaned further back into his chair, and then put on a thoughtful posture.

"I see," he began. "You have some other people waiting for you, you say? A family perhaps?"

Frisk's face turned a bit melancholy after hearing that last question.

"I guess you could call it that," she softly replied.

The creature chuckled a bit and smiled.

"Y'know it's been so long," he began. "I've seen so few people, and loved even fewer, so much so that I have almost completely forgotten what a family is anymore."

The creature sat in thoughtful silence for a while and the quietness was starting to make Frisk feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Oh goodness me," the creature suddenly said and quickly stood up. "I just realized. It's very late and it's time for bed."

Frisk snickered. She didn't believe him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she said and pulled out her phone. "It's only-"

Frisk stopped mid-sentence when she looked at the phone screen, where it said in big numbers the time was almost eleven-thirty at night. Frisk couldn't believe it. She could have sworn it was only morning when she fell.

 _Have I been down here for that long?_ she thought.

"This… doesn't make any sense," she said to the monster. "We've only been here for like what? 3 hours at the most?"

The creature shrugged.

"Time flies when you're having fun," he said and smiled.

He picked up the potted flower with both his hands, while Frisk was stuck in confused thoughts.

 _Did I set the time up wrong?_ She thought. _This all feels too convenient. Convenient for him that is._

"We'll continue our conversation tomorrow ok?" the creature said. "Just get some rest for tonight and the next morning, where we're wide awake and with clearer minds, we'll discuss your departure."

"Don't I get a word in this?" Frisk asked.

"Of course you do," the creature said. "It's just a recommendation, is all. But you don't really want to stay awake all night, do you? It's not good for your health."

Frisk gave out an impatient sigh.

"I'm not even tired," she exclaimed.

"Bah, nonsense," the creature said. "I see it in your face. You're as wrinkly as my late mother. You'll fall asleep easily, you'll see."

"Ok then let's image that I actually am very tired in fact," Frisk said. "So where the hell am I supposed to sleep 'cause I ain't sleeping in your bed?"

"In your own room of course."

Then the creature reached his hand underneath his cloak and pulled out a rusty, gold keychain.

"Wait," Frisk began. "My room?

"Yes," the creature said. "Let me show you."

The creature walked slowly out of the living room with the keychain in one hand and the flower in the other.

 _I guess I'll follow him_ , Frisk thought. _Don't think I have much choice._

Then she quickly ate the last doughnut piece and stood up.

The creature stopped at the first door in the hallway. Frisk noticed how his hand seemed to shake a little as he proceeded to put the key inside. It followed almost exactly the same rhythms as the way he shook in the dreadfully long hallway from earlier.

 _Was he always shaking like this and I've just missed it?_ Frisk thought.

But without much effort, the creature twisted and turned the key inside and opened up the door. The creature gave a satisfactory smile and looked at Frisk who stood still in the hallway.

"Come on in," he said. "Take a look."

Frisk stood still. Something felt off about this.

"Come now," the creature said. "The door won't bite."

"You go in first," Frisk said.

The creature looked at her confused, and then he just shrugged.

"I don't see why not?" he said and entered the room.

 _Maybe he's not trying to lure me after all_ , Frisk thought. _But let's not put down my suspicions just yet._

She glanced into the room and became almost stunned in surprise. She had expected a dirty and almost empty room with dozens of cobwebs and maybe a single mattress, but what she saw instead joyfully surprised her. It wasn't the best looking room she had ever seen, but it was miles better than anything she had seen in the ruins so far, or even anything in this "house".

Like the flower, this singular room was given a lot more care than any of the other of its kind, what with the wooden floors being almost spotless and clean, with a large red rug in the centre which colours matched that of the surrounding wallpapers. There were a few cupboards, a singular closet and a toy box filled with various toys.

Frisk walked inside the room, just make sure she wasn't having some sort of strange illusion. It was like she had wandered through a portal that led to a completely different house. The way it paralleled to the rest of the ruins seemed completely unnatural.

"See?" the creature began. "There is nothing to fear at all. Now then, what do you think?"

"This is nice," Frisk commented, and this time she meant it.

The creature smiled again.

"That's good," he said. "That's very good indeed."

Then the creature looked at the flower in his hand and his smile faded.

"Uhh Frisk?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"I've uh," the creature began. "I unfortunately only have one bedroom to spare."

He raised the potted sunflower.

"I hope you don't mind sharing it with my son for tonight."

Frisk shrugged.

"Sure, sure," she said. "I don't mind, really."

"Ahhh, good to know."

He placed the potted flower on top of one of the cupboards.

"Don't worry, he's not a loud sleeper," he began and patted the flower. "Who knows? Maybe you sharing a room together will get you to know each other better. Now, let's see if everything's in order."

The creature then began carefully perusing through the cupboards and toy box while mumbling softly to himself.

"Everything's in order here. Also here- wait, where is the green crayon? Oh, there it is. Now let's check the…"

Meanwhile, Frisk's interest was focused on a curious looking pink backpack laying on the edge of the bed. It looked average sized, like a high school backpack, and had no decorations or identifying markers. Frisk lifted it up. It was light and empty. It also looked somewhat clean and recent, like it was put here just a few days ago.

"Hey what's the deal with this backpack?" Frisk asked.

"Pardon me?" the monster asked without looking from his perusings.

"This pink backpack right here," Frisk said. "It looks pretty recent. Like, where did you get it and why's it here?"

"Ahhh, you mean this little thing?" the creature said. "Hmmm, would you believe me if I told you I've completely forgotten?"

 _Of course_ , Frisk thought.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well it's because I have," the creature said.

Frisk sighed.

 _Just another mystery to add to the pile I guess_ , she thought.

"Oh and speaking of forgetting," the creature suddenly exclaimed. "I almost forgot about something important."

He went to one of the cupboards and pulled out of it two small, golden boxes with white coloured ribbons.

"What is that?" Frisk asked.

"Presents," the creature proudly declared. "What else?"

"Seriously?" Frisk asked. "For me?"

"Yes. And also for my son of course. I didn't want him to be left out you see. Now I forgot to mark them, so I think I may have gotten confused on which gift belongs to whom, but I hope you like whatever's in there either way."

 _Whatever's in there?_ Frisk thought. _He doesn't know it himself?_

The creature handed her one of the golden boxes, the one who looked the most used and crumpled. Frisk took it and shook it a little. It was very light, and inside there was something small with a clinking metallic sounding. Then she sat down on the floor and began to unfold it. The ribbon was very loose and Frisk found it curious how it felt like it was tied in a hurry.

When she was done, she laid the box on the floor, opened it, and then checked inside. On the bottom, there was a small, golden necklace shaped like a heart. Frisk picked it up and felt the rust and dozens of scratches on it hinting at its long age of use.

"Thanks for that," Frisk said to the monster.

He smiled a proud smile.

"Alright, I'll be going now," he said. "I think I am going to go to bed early today as a matter of fact, but until then I'll be in the living room and check out on you once in a while. In fact, I think I am going to lock your door so nothing but I can-"

"Hang on!" Frisk yelled in protest. "Don't do that!"

The creature looked at her.

"Why not?" he asked in honest confusion.

"Because uh…"

 _Shit_ , Frisk thought. _This guy's want's to lock me in here. He must be planning to do something with me._

"Because…" Frisk continued. "...I just don't like to sleep with the door locked. It, uh, makes me feel, um, locked out I guess?"

"You prefer it if I kept it unlocked is that what you are saying?"

"Yes, yes, exactly."

The creature became thoughtful.

 _Oh, I definitely messed this up_ , Frisk thought.

But then the creature chuckled, smiled and said:

"Ah, it's alright. I'll leave the door unlocked just for you, ok?"

 _Oh, thank god._

"I'm mean…" the creature began. "Are you sure you're ok with tha-"

"Yes! I'm absolutely sure!"

"Alrighty then. Is there anything else I can do for you? Would you like me to read something for you or…?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Good. Then I'll be going now."

The monster headed for the door.

"If anything's the matter," he continued. "You can find me in either the living room or in my bed. I'm sure you know where that is. But in the meantime, good night and good rest."

He left through the door and closed it. After a few seconds, Frisk check to see if the creature had held his promise. Luckily, the door proved to be unlocked. She smiled.

Frisk went to examine the flower on top of the cupboard.

 _Yeah, I'm not gonna get used to that thing_ , she thought.

Frisk went to the lonesome bed in the room and let herself fall on it. It was immensely soft, perhaps the softest thing in this entire place.

 _Oh my god, I think I can sleep forever like this_ , she thought.

As she laid there, Frisk began wondering what was in the other package. She didn't want to go open it herself to check though, as she was sure it would summon either the creature's anger, disappointment or both.

Then Frisk realized that she felt immensely tired. A part of her considered that maybe the creature drugged her, but then she remembered all that happened the last few hours, all the walking, climbing and near death situations, and she realized what was even stranger was that she hadn't gotten tired sooner. Either that or the immense softness of the bed was getting to her.

Frisk was now wondering about what she would do when she was out of here. Would anyone believe her? She doubted it. Maybe she could prove it by showing everyone the ruins. But she also promised the monster not to do that. But what if she decided to break that promise? What would be the ramifications of that? How would society change? To the fact that magic and monsters were truly real. How would people change?

 _I don't think anything's going to be the same anymore_ , Frisk thought, not sure if she was pointing at life in general or just herself.

Then, before she noticed, Frisk had closed down her eyes and fallen into a deep sleep.

Frisk felt herself floating. Or rather, she felt a part of her floating, as she soon realized that she didn't have a body or any form to float with. She was just mere, incorporeal consciousness wandering through nothingness. Not through blackness or nothing in any metaphorical sense. Just, floating through literal nothing.

Then the voices, the whispers, and the chatter came. Frisk felt their minuscule vibrations rumble through her mind, and she believed if she somehow managed to reach out, she could touch the words and letters themselves. She thought at first that they were speaking to her, but then she noticed that the voices were rather speaking AT her. Frisk didn't completely understand it, but the best analogy she could think of was like she was a large, impenetrable wall that stood in front of dozens of people that spoke in her direction, but they were speaking to whoever or whatever lay behind her.

Some of the voices Frisk seemed to recognize, Others she didn't… and some she had yet to know, in some unforeseeable future. Frisk didn't understand how she knew that last part.

Most of them seemed inaudible, and Frisk somehow could only comprehend a few of them.

 _Why did you come here?_

 _Come now little Dora._

 _Take care of mom and dad for me, okay?_

 _Fucking imbecile._

 _It is the_ _ **only**_ _way._

Then came fire, the heat and the horrors. Frisk couldn't see the horrors, but rather she felt them, crawling around and surrounding every inch of her "soul", or whatever that could best describe her current state.

Then the voices grew faster, louder and more frequent. The audible ones even more so.

 _I was right. Your mother should have gotten an abortion._

 _You'd be dead where you stand._

 _When children hear my name, they weep._

 _We should have wiped them all out long ago._

… _the demon who comes when you call its name._

The fires and horrors grew now overwhelming, and the calmest of voices turned into yellings.

 _Please don't!_

 _Come back here, little Dora!_

 _I'll kill you!_

 _I don't want to see you or your goddamn face ever again!_

 _Down here, it's kill or be killed!_

The voices almost deafen her now.

 _Please help!_

 _The mind has a tendency to make memories where none exist._

 _Human's only answer to one thing! Fear! Fear and pain_

 _SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP ME!_

 _FRANCISCA!_

And in the centre of everything, she saw existence itself. An utter, incomprehensible anomaly, where everything and nothing existed simultaneously, and it grew and grew and threatened to swallow her whole. Then as she looked into the centre of this ever-changing cosmos she saw... him. The man in black. The man who speaks in hands. The one, who like all souls and living things did not exist once but now had conquered and ascended beyond the very concept of existence. The void yelled out his name like an incomprehensible angelic choir of a primaeval, alien faith, and it echoed through the endless chasms and took on forms and colours which no man, monster or soul had ever seen. Then he… it… **Gaster** reached out towards the floating consciousness and waited. And Frisk screamed.

Frisk woke up panting and covered in sweat.

"Ho-holy fucking shit man," she muttered.

She sat up and put her hand on her chest, and felt her heart rapidly beat as if she had just ran a marathon. Frisk had had her fair share of night terrors before, but none of them could even be compared to a fraction of what she had just been through right now.

"Oh, oh man," she said. "I'm never going to fucking sleep again, eh?"

She chuckled at her own bad joke.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the nameless monster stood in the doorway, with a face of intense dread and terror.

"Gah, Jesus Christ dude!" Frisk yelled out in shock.

But before she could react, the monster had rushed towards and embraced her.

"Dear gods what happened?!" he said with a tone of immense urgency. "I heard your yelling! Are you hurt?! Did the bed hurt you?! Oh, gods did somebody one hurt you-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Frisk said. "I'm not hurt at all! And the bed is alright, thanks for asking!"

"Then did you see someone?!" the creature asked. "Was there someone in this room. Someone who threatened you?!"

"There was no one!" Frisk said. "I swear. It was just… a bad dream is all."

The creature looked at her with a surprised expression.

"Just a dream?" he asked. "Nothing else?"

The creature looked to the side seemingly thinking, and Frisk caught a hint of relief on his lion-like face.

"Yeah," Frisk reassured. "Just a dream."

But then the creatures face turned to Frisk with a sudden look of angry seriousness.

"You shouldn't have scared me like," he said sternly and stood up. "Don't do that again."

 _Wait what?_ Frisk thought.

"Shouldn't have scared you-what the hell, do you think I asked to have a nightmare-"

But before Frisk had finished, the creature had left and shut the door, seemingly too stuck in his own twisted mind to hear a single word from Frisk, and she was once again alone in uncomfortable silence.

"What the hell was that all about?" she said to herself.

Frisk laid back into bed, her mind full of thoughts. She put her hand back on her chest and felt her heartbeat slow down.

She found herself unable to sleep again. She didn't even feel tired anymore.

Frisk picked up her phone and looked at it. It was almost 4 AM.

 _Does time flow faster in this place or something?_ she thought.

Frisk's train of thought now began to wander around with no path or purpose, going from things like wondering about the creatures sudden change of tone, to the purpose of those strange, mystical ruins, about monsters and magic… and even that dreadful nightmare. After about half an hour of laying there, she had fortunately completely forgotten everything from it. Except for one thing. That strange name, Gaster. Even here in the waking world, Frisk felt it echo constantly through her mind. Just what was that name, she wondered. She was certain she had never met or even heard of someone with that name. Did her mind just make it up randomly on the spot? She wasn't sure whether that was even possible for the mind to do, but at the moment it was one of the most likely possibilities she could think of. But then why was it the only thing that stuck once she woke up? Not only that, but that name also filled her with slight dread, as if it belonged to or reminded her of someone she once knew and feared, but just couldn't pinpoint on exactly who or why.

Frisk just stared at the ceiling again, thinking about that name, about this place and other things. She found it impossible to fall asleep again, despite having only slept for a few hours. Once again, like most things in this place, Frisk couldn't figure out why. She felt it wasn't natural. Nothing about this place was natural to her. Frisk felt as if she was still dreaming, and this place was some sort of weird dream world where normal rules no longer apply. And then there was that creature, which seemed lonely and hesitant in letting her go, possibly because it so was desperate for any semblance of company to the point it had anthropomorphised a single flower.

Frisk thought about these things for a while, and then came to a single decision.

 _I'm going to get out of here_ , she thought.

Frisk waited until she was sure the large monster was asleep before she proceeded. She slowly opened the door to his room and peeked in. As Frisk suspected, the monster was fast asleep in the large bed, and his purple robe was thrown into a pile by a corner. Judging by the silhouette, one of the monster's anorexic looking hands was hanging down by the side of the bed, and Frisk was for once happy there wasn't light for otherwise, she might see some uncomfortable details.

With the empty pink backpack hanging from her shoulders, Frisk crept into the room, fearing with every step that the creaking might wake the tall monster. The creature began to snore a bit once she reached the desk. She slowly stroked her hand over it, feeling the rough texture of the large map of the ruins.

Frisk carefully rolled it up, glancing occasionally at the sleeping monster behind her just to make sure he wasn't awake. Once she was done, she put the map into her jeans back pocket and gently headed back to the door. The monster suddenly rustled in his bed and for a moment Frisk heart stopped as she thought he was waking up. She turned around and felt immense relief to see him still sleeping. The creature then began to mumble in his sleep.

" _Wha-what are you… get-get out of here you-you..."_

Frisk had reached the doorway and looked back at the sleeping monster. He had now stopped moving and mumbling and now slept on his back with one hand on top and the other dangling by his side. Besides his breathing, he looked as peaceful as if he was once the happiest creature in the world.

Seeing him so calm and oblivious made Frisk start to feel somewhat apprehensive on not informing the creature about her decisions. This was perhaps the sanest she had ever seen him. But Frisk felt she had made her choice, and if not now, then maybe not for a long time. Her only regret at the moment was that she didn't have a pencil or paper to write her goodbyes.

"Sorry old man," she whispered and then slowly closed the door.

* * *

Author's note:

Welp. Here it is. The next chapter of this fanfic. It's been a long time coming if you ask me. Perhaps my longest hiatus yet I think, and also the longest chapter so far I think. Once again, I am sorry for the delay. There has just been a bunch of stuff happening in my life, and more often than not I just wasn't up for it. Writing I mean.  
But I manage to finish it. That all that matters at the moment. Now, onto my short commentary about this chapter.

So far, this is perhaps my favourite chapter so far, both in terms of writing tone and character. There is also plenty here in terms of mystery and character development. There are some hints about Frisk's life on the surface and by the way, she looks at it with a melancholy tone. I obviously know what it's like, since am writing this story and have planned most of it out, but I like you, the readers that is, to also piece things together.  
Speaking about piecing things together, let's talk about Gaster for a short moment before we finish things up for today. Now I was originally going to keep it a mystery on who the figure Frisk saw in her dream was, but then I realized that most of the readers would obviously guess right so I just cut the middle man and just said Gaster. Now how Gaster is connected to Frisk and all of this, I won't tell. You just have to wait patiently for an answer.

Hope you enjoy the story and see you soon. Please leave a comment if you want to as I always love reading them.


	7. The Ruins Part 6

**The Ruins Part 6**

Once again Frisk found herself wandering alone in the labyrinthian ruins. Only now, she had a clearer path and goal ahead. Now, with a heavy backpack hanging on her back and with a large map in her hands, Frisk felt like a proper explorer. She held the large and brittle map in both her hands, carefully as she felt the lightest tug could tear it, only glancing from it occasionally to see if the road ahead matched the outlines.

After a while she found holding the map too much of a nuisance and rolled it up, believing she had memorized the surrounding rooms and pathways enough, and then she put the map into her jean pocket.

If Frisk could recall correctly, there was supposed to be a large open room nearby, which for some reason, the monster seemed to consider very important, judging by how it was marked with a large circle and near-illegible writing which Frisk could just barely read as saying _vantage point_. And after she went through the same doors and hallways as the map had said lead to this place, Frisk immediately saw why.

This wasn't a large room as she had misread. It was a large balcony, and from this balcony, Frisk could see large dome-like buildings, gigantic greek like temples, and tall stony towers reaching almost to the top of the cavern, stretching far and wide. Frisk couldn't believe her eyes and blinked a few time to make sure this wasn't a mirage.

"Holy shit," she exclaimed.

She had gotten so used to the claustrophobic hallways and low ceilings she had entirely forgotten that these ruins were once a city. Seeing these rows if ancient buildings from above, and in such large height, made the ruins feel for the first time like they were once a large and massive city.

Frisk looked straight down from the balcony and saw that there was a small climbable path on the tall, stone wall. She looked behind her, feeling suddenly as if someone was watching her, but she saw nothing but the dark shadows of the corridor. Frisk figured that maybe the sudden vastness of the place was just getting to her.

With that said and done, Frisk climbed down from the balcony and began her descent down into the ancient city.

"Goddammit old man! Why did your stupid map have to be as inconsistent as your… well, everything. Guess I shouldn't have been surprised, huh?"

Frisk now sat on the edge of a large bridge connecting two building, trying her hardest to read what the map had to say about the surrounding area. She had been wandering in the old city aimlessly for a while now, and the map had now become incredibly untrustworthy. First it started with minor issues like the angle of a street being wrong or a building being shown as slightly bigger or smaller, but the further she was away from the old hermits home, more major issues began to pop up such as the map showing building that didn't exist, not showing buildings that DID exist, and visualizing hallways that in actuality lead to dead ends. With her only guide having become unreliable, Frisk was beginning to feel lost once again. She sighed and looked across at the rows and rows of ancient buildings that faded into the darkness. Frisk had hoped, if somewhat naively, that comparing the map to the city from above would somehow make it more coherent, but doing so just revealed even more inconsistencies and errors. Unless the city was magically changing shape every now and then, it was clear that it had become horrendously unreliable and broken this far away from the monsters home.

"Welp," she began. "Let's get back to it. No point wasting time fiddling my thumbs I guess."

Frisk rolled up the map and headed back down the stairs she came up. Her footsteps echoed through the staircase with every step.

"I'll just make things up as I go along," she said to herself. "Has worked well for me so far. I think at least."

Having reached street level, she adjusted her pink backpack and continued on her aimless path. As she walked, she thought on how for a long time the only sounds she heard in this dead city of colossal structures was the sound of her own voice and the echoes of her footsteps. Frisk looked up at the towers occasionally to marvel at their wonderful and eerie sight.

Unlike the dull and meaningless hallways from earlier, Frisk felt like this place actually was a city. She could imagine the busy, cobblestone streets with vendors and dozens of strange mythical creatures like trolls, goblins or even something similar to the old hermit. She could imagine the loud noises as strange looking children played in the street and older ones wandering from place to place, and as Frisk looked at some of the faraway windows she could imagine some monsters looking out to appreciate the view or to greet a beautiful morning. She could even imagine the countless families that lived inside these busy blocks, of creatures waking up one tired morning in an ancient looking bed and then going off to work or do daily chores. Frisk could even imagine the skies, for lack of a better word, being filled with wondrous flying dragons, hippogryphs and whatnot, carrying heavy boxes and carriages, or just enjoying the ride.

But whatever this place was like in the olden days, it was obvious that time was now long gone and all the monsters with it as they either died or left to some unknown place. And despite her attempts to imagine a more wondrous place, Frisk could never manage to shake off her feelings of utter fright. At every step, Frisk felt as if the countless empty windows harboured countless eyes staring at her, and that in the shadows lay untold horrors just waiting for her to slip.

Due to all this rising dread, Frisk was now believing to think she should have never left the strange creature's home.

"Good job Frisk," she said to herself. "Look at what you've gotten yourself into. You've abandoned the only guy who knows anything about this place, and now you're all alone and lost in the middle of El-goddam-Dorado with no map, no guide, and no one to protect you."

She sighed.

"Merde. This really was a terrible idea. Why the hell did I-"

Suddenly, Frisk heard something rustling just behind her. Frisk nearly froze in fear.

 _Oh god, there is something behind me_.

Then, having built up her courage, she slowly turned around and shined the light from her phone in the direction of the noise.

"Who-who's there?" she asked.

There was no answer. Frisk waited for a few moments and then gave out a short panicked chuckle.

"There's nothing," she said. "Of course there's fucking nothing. I must be losing my freaking mind over her-"

Frisk stopped dead in her tracks as another strange sound appeared. This one, however, was a lot more frightening than the last. The previous one could have been simply a gust of wind or a scurrying rat, while this new noise, on the other hand, sounded unmistakably like it came from a living, breathing creature or person. It was the sound of someone crying. Someone that was just around the next corner. Frisk was now practically frozen solid.

 _Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god-_

The crying still kept going and grew louder. Frisk wanted to run, but she feared the echoes of her loud steps would alert whatever this was so instead she just stood there, shaking. But her morbid curiosity began to grow, and despite how ridiculous she knew it was, she wanted to take a small peak to see what it was.

 _Have I learned nothing from that fat, man-eating frog thing?_ she thought to herself as she crept towards the corner. _The hell's wrong with me?_

Once she had reached it, Frisk, readying herself to sprint, looked around the corner to see just who or what was making this noise. There, she saw something completely different from any monster she had witnessed, perhaps the oddest looking figure so far. This was clearly not a froggit creature, as it had no visible feet or limbs, and it was also much bigger than normal, but then again, so was that fat froggit from yesterday.

The crying thing in question looked like a strange, white and almost completely transparent wide figure in an oval shape. Frisk wasn't sure if it was laying on it's back or not, but if it was, then judging from this distance, once it was upright the creature would've been most likely about Frisk's size.

 _Is that a ghost?_ Frisk thought. _Like what the monster guy mentioned yesterday?_

Small white looking droplets seemed to roll down the visible side of it like teardrops on a cheek. The droplets completely vaporized once they touched the ground. But suddenly, the incessant crying and teardrops slowed down to a near halt. Frisk learned why in an utterly frightening way.

"Who-who are you?" the translucent figure asked.

Frisk felt her heart pounding and the sweat leaking down her head.

 _Oh god is this thing talking to me?_ she thought. _I don't see anyone else here, but… shit, how did it see me?_

And then Frisk noticed how. The talking shape now had a strange looking face on the place where it's side used to be. The face looked extremely minimalist, with only two black circles, and a small line that Frisk assumed was a mouth. She didn't see the face at first because it was so dark, but once she did it was impossible to ignore. With the full look of the figure now being fully registered, Frisk noticed it looked uncannily identical to those "sheet ghosts" you see in Halloween stores and classic cartoons.

"Who-who are you?" it asked again.

 _Run,_ said the thought in Frisk's head. _For god's sake girl, just run. Just ignore it, and get the hell out of here. Don't you dare feel sorry for whatever this thing is._

But, despite all her most logical senses telling her not to, Frisk began to slowly walk towards this strange, crying figure.

"Hey, hey, what's the matter?" she asked in the gentles tone she could muster.

 _What the fuck am I doing?_ Frisk's thoughts began again. _Why the hell am I not running away like a sensible person? God. I really AM an idiot._

She shone her phone flashlight at the translucent creature and it seemed to shake in fear a bit. The light also seemed to completely pierce through it.

"Hey I'm not gonna hurt you," Frisk said. "I promise ok?"

The figure now slowly "stood up". It wasn't really standing up since it didn't have feet, but rather, it just hovered above the ground like a holographic disk.

"You… promise?" the figure asked nervously. "I mean… it's not like you can actually hurt me since I have no body or mass… but umm, it would be nice of you if you didn't though either way…"

"I promise," Frisk reassured.

 _This is a weird figure_ , she thought. _Seems harmless though._

Frisk stopped about an arm's length from it.

"My name's, um, Frisk," she said.

"That, uh, sound's nice," the floating, translucent figure said. "Kind of wish I had a name like that…"

Frisk felt curious and reached her hand out to touch the strange being. As she suspected, her hand went right through it.

"Can you, umm stop that," the figure asked anxiously. "It kind of um, feels weird."

"Oh sorry," Frisk said and pulled her hand away. "Are you like a... ghost or something?"

"Of a sort yeah," the figure answered shyly.

"Wait, what do you mean by of sorts?"

"It, uh, I can't really explain it sorry. I'll, uh, try though since you've been so nice. It basically means I'm a ghost, but um, not really?"

"Ok let's forget about that then if it's so hard for you," Frisk began. "So, umm, do you have like a name or something?"

"I have," the ghost said. "My name… it's not very good but um… it's Napstablook."

"I'm sorry," Frisk said and chuckled. "Napst-what now?"

The ghost seemed hurt by this.

"Are you…" it began. "Making fun of me?"

"What? Oh, no no no no no! Nothing like that. Your name's just… strange's all- NOT like there anything wrong with that, it's just how it is I guess."

The ghost looked somewhat confused, with its mouth a bit open.

"Umm," it began. "Thanks uh, you're very uh, kind I guess."

Frisk smiled.

"Uhh, thanks," she said. "I've uh, learned from the best.

They both stared at each other for a few moments, and Frisk was now thinking just how spectacular this moment was. She was speaking to a ghost. An actual ghost. Not only did she see evidence of magic and monsters, but of creatures beyond death as well.

But as she stared at it, she noticed that the silence between them was becoming awkward.

Soooooo, um," Frisk began after a while. "If you don't mind me asking but uhh, why were you crying back there?"

The ghost looked at her utter dumbfounded.

"You mean…" it began. "You haven't seen it."

"Seen what-"

There came suddenly a loud clanking noise not too far away.

"God," Frisk said and turned towards it. "That strange sound again."

Then she turned back to the ghost and saw it utter frightened state.

"I-I'm sorry?" Frisk asked.

"It's back!" the ghost said in utter panic. "Oh, gods! it's come back!"

"Wh-who?!" Frisk asked and felt the immense dread crawling up her spine. "Who's back?"

"I-I don't know!" the ghost said, practically wailing. "I don't know what it is! But it's… it's bad! Oh, gods, it's so bad! Awful! Completely and utterly awful! We must get out of here! NOW!"

"What?" exclaimed Frisk. "Hey, WAIT!"

Before Frisk noticed it, the ghost had vanished. It happened so fast that Frisk wasn't sure if it flew away in immense speed, or if it simply just faded away.

The clanking noise came again, this time much louder as if whatever was causing it was coming closer. Frisk looked at its direction and saw nothing but darkness covering the street. Then it finally dawned on her that she was alone again. The sound came again, much louder, and this time Frisk saw subtle hints of a strange silhouette by a building only a few steps away.

"Oh fuck," she muttered and began to sprint away.

Almost every single creature she met so far besides the old hermit seemed absolutely terrified by whatever was causing this noise, so Frisk didn't care one bit about what it looked like this.

She panted as she ran in an aimless direction, still holding her phone. The sound kept coming, and it was always a few meters behind.

 _Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back…_

But Frisk's frightful curiosity took over one moment, and she glanced back for a second or two. That one glance was more than enough for her, and she turned her head back forward more frightened than ever. It was dark, and it was only a moment so she didn't see much, but what she did see was a strange, formless figure that seemed to constantly be changing shape and size.

Frisk had never run this much in her entire life, and her body seemed to not be strong enough for it, but she kept running despite that. The streets seemed to curve and bend constantly, so she was constantly changing her position which just made everything more straining for her.

But as she was beginning to think this chase would never end, Frisk noticed that noise from the monstrosity behind her was growing quiet and distant. A ray of hope entered Frisk. She was losing gaining ahead.

 _Yes, yes, yes_ , she thought. _Just a little more. Just a few more meters and-_

Suddenly, there was a massive hole in the ground, and Frisk almost stepped into it.

"GAH FUCK!" she yelled as she trying to readjust her balance.

Frisk had been so busy running she didn't pay attention to her surroundings, and now she was flailing around while standing at the edge of the pit on one foot.

"Woah, woah, woah. No! Goddammit!"

She accidentally let go of her phone, and it seemed to fall endlessly down the pit until it came to a sudden halt, as it broke and small pieces of light began spreading in every direction of the hole before vanishing.

After a quick effort, Frisk managed to regain her balance.

"Oh fuck!" Frisk muttered. "That was... *pant*... fucking close!"

But her celebrations were short, as the sound of the strange creature came closer.

"Oh no," she muttered.

Frisk began to frantically look around. There were two large buildings with no clear entrance covering both sides of the hole and the street she was in, and running back the way she came was clearly out of the equation.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Frisk said frantically.

She looked at the hole, trying to see if there was a way around it. The hole was extremely wide, so much so that Frisk couldn't see the other side of the street. It also was clearly not intentionally or carefully put there, as the edges were painfully uneven. It was like a piece of the ground was ripped off.

The sound of the monster came again which shook Frisk and made her turn back and face towards the street in fear. The monster was incredibly close, just beyond the darkness. She was sweating and shaking profusely.

"Oh god, oh god," she muttered. "I'll uh… maybe I'll, no, no…"

Frisk heard something crack beneath her.

"What? OH SHI-"

The floor beneath her broke and she fell. Thankfully, she managed to grab the ledge with one hand. She was now hanging from it with her feet dangling in the empty air. Frisk looked down into the pit and saw nothing but an empty void staring void.

"Oh fuck, Jesus Christ."

She tried to pull herself up with the singular hand, but she found it impossible. Then she felt something, a sensation that made her not want to get back up anymore in a million year. She felt breathing on the back of her hand. It was the heavy breathing of something big and heavy, and it was right on top of her. The formless monster was there.

Frisk dared not to look up, and she tried not to make a noise. Then she felt her arm tire and her stamina failing, and she realized her time was running out. She felt like her hand would dislocate from her shoulder.

Then she felt something touch her palm. Something, slimy and cold.

And Frisk let go.

She screamed as she fell into the seemingly unending abyss. Flashes of her life invaded her thoughts, as she fell faster and faster until the rush of air seemed to tear apart her flesh.

Then she saw the hard, rocky bottom only a few feet away from her, and the last thing Frisk thought to herself before her body splattered on the cold stones, was that she should have never left the old monster's home.

Frisk felt herself floating again.

 _What's going on_ , she thought. _Am I dead?_

In front of her, to her side and back, there was a strange star looking object, that seemed to constantly expand and shrink. There was nothing else in this void. Nothing but herself and the strange star. She felt as if it had always been there, but she also felt like it had just arrived.

Those two contradictory thoughts didn't matter to her, and she didn't question how she managed to hold them both in the slightest.

Frisk called out, but there came no noise.

Should I… touch it?

Frisk went closer to the star, and that was where she finally saw her entire form, the one she was occupying in this strange place if wherever she was could be called a place that is. Her form looked like a red heart.

 _I don't want to be dead_ , Frisk thought. _I refuse_.

Then she, and the heart, touched the yellow star, and the entire void filled up with all her memories, hopes and dreams, and she felt herself pulled into some time or place unknown.

 _I refuse_ , she thought.

And then, Frisk woke up.

"What the- what?"

Frisk found herself back at the monsters house, sitting back on the bed she slept in earlier.

"How the… how the hell am I back here?"

She looked around the bedroom frantically, trying to see if this was some sort of strange illusion of sorts. She blinked frantically, but nothing changed.

Frisk felt utter disbelief. She could have sworn that only a moment ago, she was falling down a deep pit and then her body splattered on solid hard ground. She looked down at her body, pulled up her shirt, but saw no bruises or any sign of a long fall.

 _I didn't dream all that did I?_ She thought. _Did the large monster find me? Did he put me back here and then heal my wounds? Must be. I couldn't have dreamt all that. It was too real._

Suddenly, as she was further examining her body, the door to the bedroom suddenly burst open, and the large goat monster was standing in the doorway with intense dread and terror on his face. Frisk couldn't feel any more glad to see him.

"Uh, hi," she said to him. "I'm uh-"

But before she could finish her sentence, the monster had rushed towards her and embraced her.

"He-hey knock it off," Frisk said while almost on the verge of laughing. "I was only gone for like-"

"Dear gods what happened?!" the creature said with a tone of immense urgency. "I heard your yelling! Are you hurt?! Did the-"

"What no I'm fine," Frisk reassured. "Shouldn't you know tha-"

"Then did you see someone?!" the creature asked. "Was there someone in this room. Someone who threatened yo-"

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

Frisk was getting utterly confused.

"You- you don't know?" the creature asked. "Strange, I could have sworn I heard your screaming. Did you dream something?"

"I don't remember what I dreamt," Frisk said. "But I don't know what that got to do with-"

"Then why did you scream?"

"Why did I scream?! What kind of question was that?! Why did you think I was-wait hang on."

Frisk realized something. A surreal feeling that had an uncanny dash of deja-vu.

"This all has happened before," she said.

The monster's expression was replaced by soft confusion.

"Pardon?"

"This moment," Frisk began. "The one happening right now. Me sitting in bed and you bursting in here with immense worry. This almost exact scenario happened last time I woke up here. Down to some of the words even I think."

The creature looked incredibly bewildered now.

"Last time you woke up here?" the creature asked sincerely. "But you just got her yesterday. This is the first time you have woken up here."

Frisk looked at him, feeling almost as confused as he.

"Wait, how did you find me?" she asked. "After I fell, how did you find me."

The creature chuckled.

"How else?" he asked. "I found you perusing in the sunflower garden."

"What?" began Frisk. "Oh, that's not what I meant. I meant when I fell in the ruins. After I snuck out. How did you recover me because I recall falling like thousands of feet and-"

She stopped as she realized her words weren't going anywhere.

"You don't remember do you?" Frisk said. "Finding me in the ruins?"

The creature glanced at her with a look of suspicion.

"You've only been here in my home for 8 hours at most," the creature said. "Most of that time spent sleeping. I'm sure I would have remembered you sneaking out and then going to the ruins."

The creature face suddenly turned back to a look of worry, as if an uncomfortable suggestion just entered his mind.

"Unless…" he said before falling into deep thoughts.

Frisk sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably just having another one of your memory losses," she said, "Y'know I swear that-"

Suddenly, the creatures face gave out a loud screeching noise as it twisted and turned in immense speed and countless directions. It all only happened in a few seconds, but it was still one of the most nightmarish things Frisk had seen.

When it stopped, the creature looked with a terrified and sorry expression at Frisk who was now huddled up to the wall in immense shock.

"What the fuck was that!" she exclaimed.

The creature was shaking and still had the expression as if he accidentally revealed something he shouldn't have, and was now regretting it immensely.

"I'm… uhh… I…"

The creature quickly stood up and ran out of the room, shutting the door behind. Frisk now sat quietly in her bed, trying her hardest to process what just happened.

"What-what the hell," she muttered. "What was… this place… everything's messed up here."

Frisk glanced at the nightstand and saw something surprising. Her phone lay there, fully intact.

"What? How did it…"

She picked it up and felt no scratches or anything that hinted that it had broken. Could the monster also fix inanimate object as it could with flesh, Frisk wondered.

She put the phone back on the nightstand and lay down into the bed. She listened to her surroundings and heard nothing but eerie quiet, like usual. She thought for a bit, and then Frisk uttered something she thought she would never say in a long time:

"Man, I wish I was home."

She sighed.

"Ahhh," said an unfamiliar male voice in the room. "Who doesn't?"

Frisk hurriedly sat back up.

"Who's there?" she said.

Frisk picked up her phone from the nightstand and shone its flashlight across the room. But even as she frantically shone her light at every corner, Frisk couldn't find anything unusual.

Then, she heard something else. Something in this room that sounded like the movements of either leaf… or large pedals.

 _The flower!_ Frisk thought.

She shone her phone at the potted plant but saw nothing out of the ordinary. At first.

Then she noticed it's strange movement. The petals seemed to close and open randomly and independently from one another. Then they suddenly stopped, and Frisk found herself hear soft laughter coming from its direction. Then it began to turn around, slowly as if it was alive and wanted to savour this moment.

"What the-"

Then the laughter stopped and the flower turned and faced her, and immediately, Frisk saw that there was something different about it.

The sunflower then opened up like it was conjured to life and on its pistil, there was something that uncannily resembled a face. Then, the "face" smiled.

"Howdy," the flower said. "I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower."

* * *

Author's note:

Exciting cliffhanger isn't it? Frisk suddenly woke up back in the monsters home and now Flowey's a thing. Whatever could be happening. Unfortunately, while I have it planned, you guys won't know for a bit of a while.  
You see, I'm kind of taking a break on fanfictions. It's not gonna be long. You guys aren't gonna have to wait for months on end.  
It's just I've been kind of meaning to work on this one short story for a while. It's NOT a story that's related to Undertale or Deltarune, NOR is it a fanfiction of any kind.  
This will be a complete, original short fiction with its own characters and own universe, and I want to move my focus on it for the time being.  
I am not saying I don't like writing this fanfiction, FAR from it. It's just I kind of want to start working on something original and this is a story I kind of been having floating around in my mind a while but I've never bothered to write until now, and I kind of don't want to be an author that writes nothing but fanfictions, and I want to balance it out with *sigh* "real" writing for a lack of a better word.

But anyway, when I've finished with the short story, I'll come back to this fanfic I promise. Then I'm perhaps gonna jump around between writing fanfics, and "proper" short stories. Maybe I'll post the short story on some website and link to it from here.  
I'll hope you guys wait patiently and I'll see you around.


	8. The Ruins Part 7

**The Ruins Part 7**

"What the- what the fuck?" Frisk exclaimed.

"I'm Flowey," the flower said. "Didn't ya hear me?"

Frisk didn't know what to say at this point. Just when she didn't think things could get weirder and creepier, the previously plain flower now had a face and was talking.

"We-were you alive this whole time?" Frisk asked.

"Really?" the flower asked with a condescending grin. "That's the first thing you say to someone you just met? Not "hi I'm Frisk" or "I'm Francisca Monto-whatever-o, nice to meetcha"? How rude."

"I- I didn't really expect you to be alive-"

"Come now," Flowey said in a snarky tone. "You really think a talking flower is the weirdest thing you've seen today?"

"No that's what I meant!" Frisk exclaimed. "Can you please just… god, why is everything changing so much?! First I'm in the ruins and the next moment I'm not! I don't even know what's real anymore and-"

Frisk suddenly became very silent, and just stared at the rug with wide open eyes.

"Uhh, Frisk?" asked the flower, who had been patiently waiting for his turn to speak.

Confused, he looked down at the rug. There were a few easy to miss stains here and there but nothing really out of the ordinary.

"What the hell are you doing?" Flowey asked.

Then, out of nowhere, Frisk began to cackle.

"Of course, of course!" she said to herself and smiled. "This all makes sense now! These strange creatures, the abandoned ruins, and the idea that such a place somehow haven't been found until now! And now this!"

She laughed softly.

"None of this is real," she said with a mad smile. "I must've bumped my head when I fell down that hole! And now I'm either dying or laying in a hospital with wires stuck in me! While this… heh… this is all just some fucked up coma dream!"

Frisk began to laugh harder and harder, to the point where her laughs were beginning to sound maddening.

Flowey observed her descent from afar and sighed in embarrassment.

Suddenly, Frisk was immediately shocked back from her momentary lapse by a sharp but quick pain on her cheek.

"Ow!"

"Was that real enough for you?" Flowey asked impatiently.

Frisk saw that one of the flowers vine, or "arm", had somehow expanded in length to across the room. She stroked her cheek, feeling the fading red mark of the slap.

"God, you didn't have to do that!" Frisk protested.

"Well, you're convinced now right?"

Frisk wasn't sure about that exactly, but the short pain was so real that she found it hard to deny.

"I guess so," she said and shrugged.

"Good," Flowey replied.

He then slowly retracted the vine back to its small size and groaned as he did.

"Gah, darn it."

"Are you alright?" Frisk asked.

"Not really no," Flowey said and winced. "Haven't used my arms- sorry, vines, in what must be over half a decade now."

Frisk looked at him in slight perplexity.

 _Strange to see a flower in pain_ , she thought.

"So," she began. "You're that crazy monster guy's son right?"

"What?" replied Flowey "Oh gods no. That poor old man lost his wife and children ages ago and has been unable to move on. He must've mistaken me for one of his children simply because I share some of his… hmmm… let's say qualities. But I am not his child no, not in the slightest. I don't even have parents so to speak. I think?"

Frisk went silent for a while, thinking. It was clear that this flower knew a lot about the old hermit.

"Ok, so is there anything else you can tell me about this guy?" she asked. "Like is he dangerous, or something?"

"Dangerous?" Flowey replied as if he couldn't imagine it. "Oh, he's far from it. That old man may be crazy and a bit unstable, yes, but he's perhaps the furthest thing from dangerous that a monster can be. At least, when it comes to kids like yourself."

Frisk scoffed.

"I'm not a kid," she protested.

"Well if it talks like one," the flower said. "What are you? Like 12?"

"I'm 16," Frisk said truthfully.

"Wait really?"

Flowey stared at her befuddled, failing to find a single hint of irony.

"Huh," he began. "You humans seem to be growing younger by the minute."

"What you've never seen a 16-year-old girl before?" Frisk asked.

"Well not a human one," Flowey replied. "Now that I think about it."

"Ok, it doesn't really matter," Frisk said, trying to divert the topic onto the things that were currently on her mind. "What I want to know is what the hell is going on? Like what is this place, how did the monster find me and bring me back here in time, and why you-"

"Oh slow down, slow down, one thing at a time, ok?" the flower said. "It's true I know a lot of things, thanks for assuming, but I'm not a supercomputer or anything. I can only take so many questions at once y' know."

Frisk went quiet for a short moment, now realizing just how anxious she was feeling. She also noticed she was shaking a bit.

"Alright then, sorry," she said.

"Good," Flowey began. "Now, I know this new situation you're in may look and sound and feel completely weird, confusing, and unnatural… which it is, but can you at least give me a moment to explain the basics of this new and incredibly paradoxical reality before you go back to doing… whatever the hell you were doing back there?"

"Freaking out?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah," Flowey said. "And then, with your newfound knowledge, you can navigate this world with much more ease thanks to me."

"Wait a minute," Frisk began. "Why are you helping me?"

Flowey stopped talking for a moment, and the smug expression on his face vanished. After a short moment, he said:

"Because… you saved me, and I'm in your debt."

This answer just made Frisk more confused than before.

 _Saved him?_ she thought. _From what? We've just met._

"What-what are you talking about?" she asked him and chuckled.

Flowey took a deep breath.

" _Of course she doesn't know_ ," Frisk heard him mumble under his breath.

"Ok, let's put it this way" he began shortly after. "How about… you woke me up."

"From what?" asked Frisk

Flowey groaned.

"From that immobile state I was in, what else?" Flowey said sounding a bit irritated. "Gods, how dimwitted are you?"

"Sorry," Frisk said. "It's just that this is all so weird to me."

"Alright, alright I guess that's somewhat understandable," Flowey said, sounding calmer. "Anyway, before you came along, I was practically stuck like that, immobile, for what must've been like 5 or 6 years. It was practically hell, having to be stuck with the same crazy old man for years who all this time thinks he's your dad and you have to be groomed and smothered by him on and on, every day of every year while there is nothing you can-"

Flowey stopped himself from speaking further. His face had turned red and angry before he managed to calm himself down.

"Apologies," he said. "Lost my temper for a moment there. Anyways, where were we?"

"Wow, you really hate that guy don't you," Frisk said.

"Somewhat," Flowey confirmed. "I mean, how would you feel if you had to be stuck with and harassed by a crazed hermit every day for years?"

"Uhh, it would suck?"

"That's putting it mildly. Now, we were just talking about how you saved me, right?"

"Right, how did I do that exactly?" Frisk asked. "And why are you sure it was me who did it considering I haven't even touched you since I came here."

With that, the flower opened his mouth to speak only to stop immediately afterwards as if he completely forgot what he was going to say.

"Well truth be told," he said after a while. "I'm not really sure how. Now that I'm actually thinking about it, I realized I can't actually understand the logistic behind it. But I do know it was you who saved me since you resetting in my vicinity is somehow what brought me back from limbo."

"Resetting?" asked Frisk.

 _Just as things couldn't get even more confusing,_ she thought.

"Correct," Flowey confirmed. "You see before I fell suddenly into that helpless state, and even longer before you came along, I had the same power as you do now, that is resetting. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost that ability, even though I'm still able to keep the memories after someone else resets."

"I, uh, feel like we are in different levels of mindsets over here," Frisk said.

Flowey looked at her in confusion until his expression change as if he realized something.

"Oh, you don't really know, do you?" he asked. "Of course you don't. No idea why I assumed everyone who gained this power knows of it instantly, considering it took me some experimenting until I fully understood it."

"Uh, what are you talking about?"

"Can you just wait for a moment?" Flowey asked. "I'm trying to find a way to explain this properly. Gods, you're so impatient. So anyway, how do I put this? Mmm resets, are like uh… time travel in a way. You see in this world, that being the underground we are in, humans that fall down here often gain a hidden power of sorts, which allows them to manipulate reality in a certain way because of high levels of determination in them-"

"Woah, whoah, what are you talking about?" Frisk interrupted. "Time travel, manipulating reality, high levels of determination what?"

Flowey slapped his face with one of his vines, eerily similar to a person facepalming.

"Ugh, ok let's try putting this another way?" he began "So, have you ever played a video game?"

"A couple, yeah, why?" Frisk asked.

"Good," Flowey said. "So you know how in most video games whenever you "die", you "reset" which basically just means you go back in time to your last checkpoint or save?"

Frisk nodded in confirmation.

"Well, it kind of works like that," Flowey continued. "Think of determination as being like an unlimited memory card, and whenever your determination reaches a certain level, you "save" your progress in a way, and so later on when you die, or reset, you go basically go back in time to your last "save point," and sometimes, more than just your memory of the now-erased event go back in time with you. Of course, there is a way to reset without dying, but that one is-"

"Wait, hang on! Are you saying I just died back there?!"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm getting at," Flowey said in a casual manner. "Unless you found a way to reset on your own that is."

Frisk stared at him, mouth agape, feeling utter disbelief. The amount of dread she felt from this revelation was almost beyond description. But the most horrifying part was that it was perhaps the best explanation she could think of as to why she was one moment falling down a deep pit with a hard bottom, and before she knew it she was suddenly back in the monsters home. Not only that, there was not a hint of irony in the tone or face of the flower.

At that moment, Frisk wasn't sure if she was supposed to laugh or cry.

"I-I died…" she said to herself, trying her hardest to grasp it. "I have honest to god fucking died. I… ho-holy shit."

"Look, it's not that big of a deal," Flowey said.

"Yes, it's a big, fucking deal!" Frisk protested. "I-I… how does it work… is there an afterlife? Is there a soul? Is there-"

"Yes you have a soul," Flowey said bluntly.

"THERE ARE SOULS?!"

"Oh lower your voice for the angel's sake!" Flowey said, sounding irritated. "Do you want the old hermit to come here and ruin everything? Do you want the entire ruins to hear you?"

"Sorry," Frisk said. "It's just… this is so much to take in, I… sorry, just… give me a few minutes to uh, absorb this alright?"

Flowey looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds and then frowned.

"Fine," he said. "Take your time then."

"Thanks."

Frisk put her hand on her chest and breathed heavy but slow breaths. She felt the heart in her chest, pounding. It slowed down after a while, but the anxiety crawling up her spine still remained, although to a lesser degree.

Frisk looked at the flower. Now that she was calmer than before, she decided to start with one of the questions she had.

"So you said that it was possible to, uh, reset without dying," Frisk began. "Can you tell me how?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain," Flowey said. "I don't think I can explain it if I were to be honest. It's just something you have to know is all."

Frisk sighed.

"Fine, later," she said

Frisk let one of her foot dangle of the edge of the bed and finally managed to gather the last of her thoughts and question into a nice mental pile.

"So do you have any idea how I uh… gained this power?" she asked. "Flowey?"

"Oh sorry," he replied, sounding a bit spooked. "I decided to doze off for a bit since you were doing… your thing. Anyway, what were you saying?"

"I was asking you how I got this power," Frisk said. "The power to go back in time whenever I die I mean."

"Well that's simple," Flowey said. "I… I don't know."

Frisk looked at him doubtfully.

"You don't know?" she asked.

"Well, yes- I mean, no," answered Flowey. "I'm sure I did know how at some point, but in case you haven't noticed, my memory's not up to snuff now, possibly relating to my coma. I think the power has something to do with the amount of determination you have, which is like a magic juice thing inside every human soul, and since you have more determination in your soul than any other being down here, you somehow gained the ability to cheat death? I think? I'm not sure. Anyway, are you done now? Calming down I mean?"

"Yeah I, uh, think so," Frisk said.

"Great, good to hear," Flowey said. "Now can we keep going?"

"Yeah, you said you could help me," Frisk said. "How exactly?"

Flowey went silent for a moment, and then he chuckled.

"Well you want to go home don't you?" he asked Frisk and she nodded. "Well, I can help you with that. Like I said earlier, I once had the same power as you do now, and with it. I explored the entire underground from north to south, east to west dozens of times. I've read every book, burned every book, bought everything, sold everything. I've even killed people, only to reset and become a friend to the same person immediately after. I have done practically everything down here I can think of. See where I'm going with this?"

"I think so yeah," Frisk said.

"Good," Flowey continued. "Because what I'm saying is, there is not a single being that knows the underground as much as I do. I am literally the best person that can help get you home, and you are immensely lucky to stumble upon me, and the fact that you saved me, although unintentionally, makes me feel incredibly indebted to you."

Flowey's face suddenly turned a bit dour.

"The bad news is," he said. "That my memory isn't up to snuff as I said earlier. I have dozens of gaps in my mind and of some events I've been through, I can only remember the basic outlines. Not to mention, lots must've changed in the underground during the past 5 to 6 years since I was gone, so even if my memory was perfect, it still wouldn't be completely enough."

Flowey looked up Frisk who was now feeling somewhat worried, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"But do not fret though," he said. "I still remember most of the layout of the world, including some places only a few have gone to. The underground may be magical in nature, yes, but I doubt there would be entire landscape changes and different placements of towns and or rivers in just half a decade. Now, with that said, shall we finally be off now?"

"Wait," Frisk said.

She had just realized something she forgot to ask. Something important.

"How do I know if I can trust you?"

Flowey became silent again, and his smile waned as if he didn't know how to proceed. He stared at her for a good few seconds before he chuckled and talked again.

"Well that's the thing isn't?" he began. "You don't know that. And frankly, you don't have to. Honestly, I really should have been clearer in my intentions here. You see, I'm not trying to make you trust me. I'm not begging or threatening your life for you to take me along. I'm merely presenting you the option to have me as your guide so to speak. Of course, we can all just… go our separate ways now and then this moment will be the last we ever see of each other, for the time being at least. Who knows, maybe you really don't need my help or even any help for that matter. Maybe you can solve this puzzle and get home all by yourself."

"But," Flowey continued, and his tone seemed to change again. "I have to be perfectly honest. I would really appreciate if you'd at least consider my proposal. You saved my life after all, and I really want to reward it to you somehow, even if just a little. On the other hand, though, you are a young, although nearly adult by human standards, 16-year-old girl who just a few hours ago learned that magic and monsters exist in the world, so I don't blame you for not trusting me immediately. Hell, you're probably thinking that I could be lying about all of this. Then again, most humans and monsters didn't make it far in their lives if they didn't take any risk or two. So, with that said."

Flowey slowly extended one of his vines until it was only an arm's length from Frisk. There he held it floating in the air like he was waiting for a handshake.

"Do you want my help?" he asked calmly.

Frisk stared at the floating vine, thinking. Normally, she would absolutely refuse help from a stranger, especially in this kind of situation. Once Frisk became a teen and was no longer considered a child, she believed she understood the world better than most.

But now, everything was different. Frisk now felt like the things and people she would normally trust or understand no longer held the same benefit of doubt and vice versa. It was if the world had turned on its head just overnight.

As for the flower, Frisk felt he was sincere in his tone and that he truly wanted to help her.

He could also have been lying, about her power and everything, and now wanted to use her for some malicious purpose.

 _What could be the worst that could happen should I not take his offer?_ Frisk thought.

Well, the first that would happen, Frisk wondered, was that she would say bye to him and go back by herself into the ruins. Maybe she would do much better than last time. Maybe she would die again and fall right back into this place where the flower would ask her the same questions again. Maybe she would accidentally put him back into a coma that way.

Frisk also didn't know how to "save" as Flowey put it, at least not consciously, so she could always fall back to this exact place and time over and over again and have to redo the same hours, maybe days. Or maybe she would accidentally save at some unfortunate moment and be stuck in an infinite loop with no one around to save her.

So many dark possibilities flew around in her head. All this was, of course, assuming Flowey was telling the truth about her powers.

But as strange as it sounded, Frisk found this hard to deny. She suddenly felt as if somewhere deep within her soul and mind, there was another mind where she knew and understood this power. Like a consciousness within her consciousness.

Maybe though. Frisk wasn't sure. Of anything anymore. This was all starting to feel like a dream to her.

 _Maybe this really is a dream_ , she thought. _Maybe I should just act like it is, and go through the motions, blindly._

"Well?" Flowey asked impatiently.

Then, as Frisk looked at the flower's eyes, she suddenly felt the same imaginary place within her soul, stirring as if it was trying to speak.

 _Take it,_ she felt it say. _Take it_.

And so, despite everything her guts were telling her to, the deep parts of Frisk's soul proved stronger

"Screw it," she said out loud and grabbed hold of the floating vine and shook it. "I'll take it."

A huge, satisfied smile formed on Flowey's face.

"Ahhh, it's a deal then," he said, "Now hold still for a moment."

Then, before Frisk could react, Flowey had lengthened the vine Frisk was holding to be even longer, and it crawled up her entire hand and all the way to the point it reached her back. Then Flowey used that same vine like it was a small, thin robe to pull himself out of the pot, which gave of a noticeable _pop_ sound, and landed on Frisk's hand.

"Hey! What are you-"

"Oh, you try walking again after not using your legs for who knows many years, or in my case, roots!" Flowey said while he crawled up her arm.

Frisk felt the flower and his vines tickle a bit as he crawled to her back where he used the same vine to tangle around her shoulder like a strap, and then he formed another vine to cover the other one. He now felt like a strange, organic backpack.

"Well, you could have at least asked me beforehand," Frisk said, sounding somewhat irritated. "But anyway, what's-"

"Oh, lords!" Flowey suddenly said.

The two vines around Frisk loosened and the talking flower fell limp of her back and straight onto the floor.

"Flowey!"

Flowey now remained nearly motionless on the floor, groaning in pain. Frisk turned around and looked at him. This was the first time she got a good look at Flowey's "body". It consisted of a single, long green stem with two vines to the side working as it's armed. At his bottom was a large, brown root still dirty and covered in mould from being so long in the flowerpot.

Frisk kneeled down on the floor feeling a slight worry.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

 _Why am I worried for him_ , Frisk thought.

The flower groaned again.

"Ugh, no, not really," he said. "I think I may have underestimated just how weak I am exactly. Didn't consider for some reason that not moving for like 5 to 6 years might have some effect on my muscles and grip strength, or whatever it is that keeps my vines strong."

He then looked Frisk straight into the eye with a look of complete sincerity.

"You're going to have to carry me for the time being," he said.

"What, no way," Frisk said.

"Oh come on, it's only for a short while," Flowey said. "Just until I get my stamina back. Won't take that long. Besides, it's not like I weigh that much. Wait, are you even paying attention to me?!"

Frisk didn't seem to notice him anymore as she was looking at something in the corner of the room.

"I have a better idea," she said.

"Oh, what could you-"

Flowey stopped as he realized what she was looking at.

"Oh no," he began. "No, no, no, no."

"What you got a better idea?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah, the one I just told you about!" he answered. "I ain't gonna be treated like I'm a freaking tool or a plaything."

"Well I ain't gonna carry you with my hands for hours or days," Frisk protested. "And it's not like you can fit into my pockets either way."

"But it's… dark in there. And tight."

"Then I'll just keep it open."

"But… but… oh fine!" Flowey said in complete defeat. "Just try to be careful and don't make me it too uncomfortable for me ok? If it will be, then you'll not hear the end of me complaining."

"Deal."

Frisk leaned down and grabbed Flowey by the stem.

"Hey, hey, gentle. Gentle!"

"Sorry," Frisk said.

Holding the sentient flower in her hand, Frisk walked to the pink backpack and put Flowey as carefully as she could into the largest opening.

"Is this ok?" she asked.

"Yes, yes, stop asking with every inconvenience and hurry up alright?"

With the flower now placed inside the backpack like it was a large pot of pink leather, Frisk slowly picked it up and put her hands through the straps in a unique way as to not turn it over, which proved to be more awkward than she expected. When she was done with that, she adjusted and tightened the backpack to make sure it wasn't too shaky or loose for her new passenger.

"Ok, what now?" Frisk asked.

"First things first," Flowey said as he adjusted himself inside the backpack. "You should open that other box."

"Why, what's in there?" Frisk asked.

"Something that will be of much help to us."

"Wait how do you know what's in it?" Frisk asked.

Flowey replied that question with another question. A question that immediately put Frisk on edge:

"What, you think you're the first human kid to fall down here?"

"What?" Frisk exclaimed.

She had suspected for a while now that she wasn't the first human here, what with the stories of missing children that dated to even a hundred years ago, but the sudden confirmation was still felt completely out of left field and thus was very unnerving for her.

 _Of course, I wasn't the first_ , Frisk thought. _I should have known. But wait, if I'm not the first human here then… why the hell has nobody returned from this place?_

"You're really surprised?" Flowey asked condescendingly.

"Not really," Frisk admitted "I should have guessed it though from all the stories and rumours. But wait, if the old man isn't dangerous, then what happened to the others?"

Flowey went eerily quiet.

"Flowey?" Frisk asked.

"I don't know," Flowey confessed. "Maybe I did know the truth about it once, but if that's the case then it's, unfortunately, one more thing that I have forgotten. Eh, we'll burn that bridge when we get there. Why don't you go open that other box now?"

"Right," Frisk said.

As she went over to it, Frisk couldn't shake off that dreadful feeling, even though she tried to. All she could think of while she tore open the lacklustre packaging was of the other people who came before her. Because of it, she barely even noticed the metallic clanking sound that came as the box shook.

"Come on," said Flowey. "Hurry up."

"Calm down," Frisk said, feeling a mild shock after being pulled from her thoughts. "I'm almost done."

"Well can you keep it up a little."

"I'm going as fast as I can. Besides, what could be so possibly important inside this-"

Frisk finally opened the box and saw the deadly, metallic instrument within.

"A knife?" she asked. "What the- why the hell would the monster give you a knife as a present?"

"Well, would you believe me if I told you this present was actually meant for you and the necklace was for me?" Flowey said.

"What, I mean no, maybe," Frisk said. "I mean, he's unstable as hell so I shouldn't be surprised."

"Well at least you're not as surprised as the last kid who came here," Flowey said. "That time, the old man didn't mix it up as he did with you. Gods, you should have seen his face after the kid accidentally cut himself on the knife, just after opening the box."

"Other kid?" Frisk asked. "Can you tell me about them?"

"Nah, I'll tell you about him later," Flowey said. "Once we are out, that is."

"Alright then," Frisk said. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Great idea," Flowey said. "Because I'm sure to forget."

 _I feel like I keep getting new questions at every second_ , Frisk thought as she pulled out the knife from the torn box which she then threw nonchalantly on the floor.

The knife looked somewhat inhuman and magical in design, despite being indistinguishable in size and shape from an ordinary combat knife and it fitted nicely in her hands. The handle was mostly plain, being nothing but black metal with some dark brown leather sewn on it. The blade, which had the most noticeable aspect, was mostly ebony coloured with an unmissable, blood red hue on it that seemed to glow like it was forged in some evil place.

"What's the deal with this knife?" Frisk asked.

"Well, it's a knife," Flowey said. "What else."

"It doesn't look or feel normal, is all," Frisk said.

 _Is this just how knives made by monsters look like?_ she thought.

"Anyway, what am I supposed to do with it?" she asked Flowey.

Frisk was starting to feel nervous, even more than she was already, at what could possibly be the purpose of needing a weapon like this.

"Well you need it to cut open the door out of here," Flowey said. "And when we're through, who knows? Maybe we fall into some vines or have cut our way through some thick foliage."

Frisk felt a bit of relief hearing that answer.

"Also," continued Flowey. "If the old man comes and tries to stop us, it would be nice to have this thing to, y' know, shank him."

"What?!" Frisk exclaimed

Despite having only known him for a few moments, she couldn't believe what he was suggesting.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" she asked. "I ain't gonna kill him!"

"I didn't say you have to!" Flowey replied. "I merely said it was a possibility that there be a situation where you have no other choice. And if not him, then maybe someone else you see?"

"Oh, I'm not killing anyone!"

"Fine then," Flowey said with a hint of sarcasm. "Let's go with your idea and be all willy nilly to anyone who hunts us down and tries to kill us. Who knows? Maybe we can be friends to them."

"You- you do realize there's like a fine line between killing someone and trying to befriend them!" Frisk said.

"Of course I know that!" Flowey said. "Just don't be surprised when you hit a wall dozens of times because you keep being killed by the same person over and over again. Sometimes, you have to take drastic measures to survive in this world."

"Alright look," began Frisk. "We can waste our time here debating the morals and justification of murder all we want, but it's clear we aren't gonna go anywhere with this soon and right now, I think I just wanna get the hell out of here. As you said, we'll burn that bridge when we get there."

"Fine," Flowey said. "Your choice. But I will prove you right, no worries."

"Whatever," muttered Frisk.

She flipped the knife upside down and put it blade first into one of her pants pockets.

"Anything else I need to do in here?" she asked.

"No," confirmed Flowey. "Not unless you wanna take home those books and toys for souvenirs."

"No, I don't."

"Great, then let's finally go."

* * *

Author's note:

Woah.  
This was a really, REALLY, long time coming. Sorry

I really don't have a good excuse for this month and a half long hiatus. Except for maybe the fact that it was a terrible time to work on an original short story. Turns out, writing an original short story... is not that easy. When you are making your own world, you have to also remember the rules you made for it, and make sure it's cohesive as hell. I thought at first that it would take me at least two weeks to finish the first draft, but I've barely just finished the introduction to the story, and may I remind you, it's a short story for crying out loud. And then came the tests. Off the tests. Also took much of my attention this month.  
But as I was just finishing them, I realized that it had been a long time since I made updates to this fic, and I really hate to keep people waiting.  
On the bright side though, during this long hiatus, I was able to brainstorm dozens of ideas for this fic, and even fill in some gaps I wasn't thinking of. Honestly, though, I am not gonna abandon my "proper" writing at all. I am still going to finish the story I had in mind this summer, but that does NOT mean that I am going to abandon this fic any time soon, far from. I am just going to hop between my original stories and this one. The bad news is that it could mean that waiting may be a bit longer than usual. But I'll try my hardest not to make it as long as the one between this and the last.  
Thankfully, the next chapter won't be so long away since I have already finished a decent portion of it. Don't know when I can finish it so I won't promise any release dates, sorry.

And to make a long story short, thank you, readers, who haven't abandoned me yer and I'll see you guys soon. _Adios_.

Oh and one more thing.  
Since you guys have been so patient, how about a little treat. I'm gonna tease something that I have been planning for a while. It's not a major spoiler, don't worry. I am not giving away a plot twist or a vital scene, but it will be a large hint of what's to come., but to those who are desperate to avoid spoilers for anything, even if it's minor, I suggest those folk to stop reading from here on out.

Still here?  
Alright, here we go.

 ** _There will be at least one (maybe 2), non-canonical ship later in this story._**

I ain't telling who are involved, or even what kind of ship it will be except for that it's indeed romantical. I want it to come organically, and fit the tone of the story, and it also might not come until much later.  
All I will say about is that it is a semi-popular Undertale ship that formed about the time the game first came out, and it's 100% consensual.  
That's all I will say about so start speculating people.

And before you ask, **no it isn't Frans**. Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not really my thing. If you ship it though then fine. You do you alright?


	9. The Ruins FINAL

**The ruins FINAL**

Frisk carefully opened the door and peeked out to the hallway. The first thing she noticed was how eerily dark and quiet it was.

"How the hell has the old monster guy not come here yet?" she asked. "We must've made like a ton of noise yelling in there."

"Ah, he must be too busy sobbing in his room to hear," Flowey said. "He does that every time he has a breakdown."

"Hey speaking of breakdowns," Frisk began. "Can you tell me what the hell was up with that face shifting thing he did earlier?"

"I… really have no idea," Flowey said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm about as surprised as you. I've been with him for like half a decade yet he has never done that before."

"Never you say?"

Frisk found that hard to believe. She could still see the utter regret the old monster seemed to express immediately afterwards like he accidentally revealed something he shouldn't have.

"Yeah, never," Flowey confirmed. "The only possible thing I can guess is that it has something to do with the whole resetting thing going on with you, which seems to be the answer for everything now. I don't see how it matters to us though since we most likely won't see him again."

"I was just curious," Frisk said.

"Of course you are," Flowey said. "Can we keep going now because we're wasting time?"

"Right, sorry."

Frisk crept through the door and carefully closed it behind her. She tried listening for any signs of the old hermit but heard nothing. Still, she thought it was best to go slowly and carefully.

As she was creeping closer to the entrance of this dwelling place, Frisk realized that she wasn't as scared or nervous as before. In fact, she was barely scared at all. The truth of her powers was finally getting to her. Still, she also felt a bit bad for leaving the monster alone without telling him. But she also suspected heavily that if she did, the creature then might try his hardest to stop her. It was not a risk she was in the mood to take.

Once Frisk exited the hallway, she turned to the entrance. She was barely a step through when Flowey interrupted her.

"No, no, no," he said, "Not that way."

"What do you mean?" Frisk asked, feeling confused now. "This is the only way out."

Flowey went quiet, and the air around them was filled with a scent of smug disappointment.

"Of course you thought it was the only way out," Flowey said. "Why did I assume anything else?"

"Alright jackass," Frisk said. "If that's not the way out then what is?"

"Well gee," the flower began. "If only there were some other door in this very room. Fine, since you seem to be so dimwitted, I'll tell you. I am in fact talking about the door down the stairs behind you."

Frisk felt her heart stop once she heard that. The fears she thought she had vanquished had suddenly returned in an instant.

"Ar-are you serious?" she asked nervously.

 _He can't be talking about THAT door, is he?_

"What, you thought it leads down to an empty basement or something?" Flowey asked.

Frisk turned around and walked to the side of the stairs. She looked down at the boarded up door and her heart pounded. Just looking at it filled her with unease.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" Flowey asked.

"Th-the old man told me not to open it," Frisk said. "He said there was some evil shit behind that door. Demons or something."

Just after she said that the flower began to hold his breath, trying to keep himself from bursting into laughter. Frisk turned her head around to face Flowey, and she was starting to feel somewhat frustrated.

"What's so funny," she asked.

"You actually bought that?" Flowey asked, smiling a cocky smile. "Like for real? Gods, you really are an idiot."

"Let me guess," she began. "That door leads home right?"

"Of course it does!" Flowey said. "Why else would he make up that story?"

Frisk sighed. She couldn't help but feel used by the old hermit.

"Alright, let's get going," she said.

She walked down the steps, carefully so that the steps wouldn't creak. Not that it really mattered, as the old hermit wouldn't have heard it either way. It was more due to a force of habit at this point.

"Gods, can you move on already?" Flowey complained.

"Calm down," Frisk replied. "We're halfway there."

"And we would be there now if you actually walked properly."

"God, can you stop complaining? At this point, I am considering whether taking you was a bad idea."

"Alright then, take your time. Just don't be shocked if the monster takes you while you're still on the next step."

After an unnecessarily gruelling journey down the steps, filled with Flowey's occasional impatient groaning, they were now standing in front of the large, boarded-up wooden door.

"Finally," Flowey said. "Now the next thing you need to do is cut those tapes off."

"Wait, is this the door you mentioned?" Frisk asked. "The one that the knife is supposed to be used on?"

"Yeah, why?" Flowey confirmed.

"I dunno, it feels kind of a downer," Frisk said. "Judging by the design of the knife, I just expected the door to look more mythical and ancient. Like a large, house-sized, stone slab decorated in glowing runes or something"

"Well it was the only knife that's in this house," Flowey said. "Oh by the way, can you hurry up already? Or are you just gonna stand around and ponder every five seconds or so?"

"Ok then, geez."

She put her hand on the door and used the other to cut down the duct tape with the knife. The first plank loosened and dangled on the door. Frisk carefully took it off and put it on the bottom step, slowly as to not make a sound.

"I think I could have just ripped the tapes off with my hands, y' know?" Frisk realized.

"Ehh, it's too strong," Flowey said.

"C' mon, it's just duct tape," Frisk said. "How hard can it be?"

She put her knife in her pocket for the time being and attempted to pull off the tape of another plank. It proved to be extremely ineffective. The tape was unnaturally strong. She tried again and groaned a bit before giving up.

"Told you so," Flowey said condescendingly.

"God, what are these things made of?" Frisk said.

"Well the old guy used some magic on it," said the flower. "I saw it with my own eyes, or rather with whatever it was that made me able to see back when I was in that state. He didn't think to make it knife proof for some reason."

"Magically enhanced duct tape," Frisk said, realizing how weird it sounded out loud. "Got it."

Frisk then went back to the original plan and cut off the tapes of another plank. This one was diagonal, so it proved very awkward to cut, especially the top part where Frisk had to stand on her toes to reach. After that, there were only a few dozen more.

A few planks later, there came the sound of a door opening, somewhere in this house.

"You hear that?" whispered Flowey.

"Oh shit," whispered Frisk.

Frisk began to frantically cut out the last remaining planks, which thankfully proved to be much easier as most of them were hastily put and disorganized. After a while, the bottom steps were covered in a pile of loose planks.

Then, after she removed the last plank, which was very large and heavy and covered the entire door horizontally, she stopped. Standing in front of the large, wooden door, an uncomfortable sensation was starting to grow in her gut. She was suddenly reminded of one thing the old monster had told her.

 _Down there… Lay only the evilest things ever dreamt up from the dark deep imaginations of the most wicked monsters_.

"What in the angel's name are you waiting for?" Flowey whispered, sounding somewhat agitated. "The old man can be here any second now. Open it."

"This… doesn't feel right," Frisk admitted.

 _What if the monster was telling the truth_? she thought. _What if this is a trick?_

"I don't care how you feel right now," Flowey whispered, sounding irritated. "If you want to go home, then the only way to get there is through that door. You're not actually buying what he said right?"

 _This feels weird,_ Frisk thought. _It feels like a trap_

"You seem awfully keen on opening this door," she told the flower.

"Because it's the only way out of here," Flowey said, almost breaking his whispering in frustration. "I've told you like a gazillion times already. Now lay down your stupid suspicions and open that gods-dammed door."

Frisk stared at the door, feeling strong and conflicting emotions crawling and biting at her mind.

 _An amalgamation yours and anyone's worst possible fears and nightmares made manifest,_ the creature's voice said in her thoughts. _Famine, war, death, chaos, disease. Countless things a wicked soul can possibly think of._

"Are you brain dead?" Flowey asked, no longer whispering. "Open. The. Door."

That last line was what made Frisk finally come to a decision, although hastily and unsure. But it was not the decisions Flowey was hoping for. Frisk walked a few steps backwards and felt the stirring of the confused flower on her back.

"No," Frisk said, filled with certainty and determination. "I refuse."

Flowey now looked absolutely befuddled. His mouth was wide open and his eyes spoke utter confusions. If he had eyebrows, they would surely speak frustration and anger.

"What?" he said, almost yelling it at this point. "Are you- ugh, for the angel's sake! Fine! Let me!"

"Hey what are you-"

In barely a moment, Flowey had extended one of his vines, making him wince in pain, and before Frisk could finish her sentence, he had wrapped the vine around the doorknob and gave out a painful groan as he swiftly yanked the door open.

"Oh fuck!"

Then, as if on instinct, Frisk closed her eyes and cowered on the ground, and she felt an immense gust of wind rushing over her body.

She laid still for only about half a minute, but it felt like an eternity. At every moment, Frisk expected to feel horrible things, like perhaps dozens of teeth biting her skin like countless man-eating insects, slimy tendrils grabbing her and attempting to pull her into an incomprehensible hellscape, or waves of horrible, loud screeching or laughter from countless, inhuman terrors.

However, she waited. And waited. And waited. And yet, after a few moments, she felt nothing. Nothing at all.

"It's ok Frisk," Flowey said and sighed. "There's nothing here you scared idiot."

Frisk frightfully opened her eyes. If there was any, she thought that perhaps she could glance at the eldritch monstrosities before being devoured or worse. Maybe the "evil" was waiting for her, waiting for her to look at it so it could savour her suffering. But, as she stood up and finally mustered the courage to glance through the door, Frisk was instead filled with shocking relief, and anger.

All there was through the door was a simple, empty corridor.

"See?" Flowey said. "No demons. No evil magic or whatever vague nonsense he was spouting. Nothing. Just a simple hallway that leads out of here."

"He lied to me," Frisk said, feeling betrayed. "The old bastard lied to me."

"Oh, you're surprised?" Flowey asked sarcastically. "Well, gee. It's not like that old man is crazy and suffers from incredible loneliness issues or any-"

There came the sound of loud steps and crashings from above. Frisk listened for a while. The steps were becoming louder and closer.

"FRISK! FLOWEY! WHERE ARE YOU!" yelled the old monster.

"I think he's coming this way," Frisk said in frightful realization.

"Well, then what the heck are you waiting for?!" Flowey asked anxiously. "Run. Run!"

And so she did. She ran, ran as fast as she could down the dark corridor.

"At the end of this hall, there is a left curve that leads to another door!" Flowey said. "It's much larger than the one back there and made of pure stone, so it will be extremely heavy and much harder to open!"

"How am I supposed to open it then?!" Frisk frantically asked, now seeing the curve ahead.

"Push it!" Flowey said. "Push it as hard as you can!"

Frisk quickly turned the corner without slowing down which caused her to crash on the walls a bit before getting back on her feet. At the end of this new path, a tall door made of pure stone indeed loomed closer. The door had a strange distinct rune marked on it, and it opened in the middle like an old castle gate. Behind her, Frisk heard the sounds of loud, running steps of a large figure.

"Hurry, up Frisk!" Flowey said anxiously. "I think he's down here!"

"I know, I know!" Frisk said and increased her speed.

She was now running just as fast, if not faster than she did in the old ruins. She didn't even have time to stop before she slammed headfirst into the stone door.

"Gah."

"Ok," Flowey began. "Now push!"

"Got it, got it!" Frisk said.

Frisk put her hands on either side of the opening and groaned as she put all her weight into opening the door.

"God, why is this so heavy?!" she complained. "Flowey, can you give me a hand?!"

"Sorry, I'm too small and weak!" Flowey said. "Keep it up though, you're doing great!"

Frisk wasn't sure whether he was sarcastic about that last sentence, but she didn't care. She felt the sweat run down her brow and cheek as she pushed. Still, she groaned and pushed as hard as her body could manage.

After a while, Frisk managed to get a small crack in the centre. It was big enough to peek through, and inside she saw another, long hallway that seemed to stretch further than any she had encountered so far. She pushed a bit more, and now the opening was big enough for her to squeeze through.

"Almost there!" Frisk said. "Just a little bit-"

"My child!" yelled the creature behind her on the other end of the hall. "You shouldn't be down here! It's dangerous for a child like you!"

Frisk stopped doing everything at that moment. She glanced at the half-open door and knew she could just squeeze through and then close the stone door behind her. But her anger, her feeling of disappointment at the old monster, overtook her, and she knew there was most likely not another chance to confront him.

She turned around and saw a frail, decrepit monster in tattered clothing standing at the edge of the hall with a maddening glare and frown of disappointment. With the immense bravery she felt due to the knowledge that death was not final for her, Frisk was filled with immense determination.

"You just had to peek inside didn't you?" he said. "Couldn't let your curiosity lie in wait, is that it? Well, now you know what's inside here. Now you know the real reason I had to board it up. Couldn't let you two get into danger, could I? Now, why don't you and your little brother come back upstairs-"

"You lied to me, asshole!" Frisk yelled, and the monster seemed incredibly thrown aback by it. "You told me there was nothing down here besides some vague bullshit about something evil in order to scare me from it! You didn't let me know this was the only way home!"

"Tha-that's not a nice way to speak to me like that," the creature said, sounding confused and worried.

 _Has he no guilt or shame even after being caught?_ Frisk thought.

"Are you daft?" Frisk asked.

"You-you're right," the creature admitted. "I did lie to you about the door, and I'm sorry. But, it was for the best I… I only did it to protect you!"

"Oh, that's bullshit!" Frisk said. "I thought you were nice! You were crazy, yeah, but I thought you were trying to help me! But it turns out you just wanted to keep me here, forever! So I could pretend to be your dead child in your little fantasy like I was some fucking toy to be dressed and played with!"

"That's not true," the monster said. "Not even close."

"Well, whatever the case!" Frisk said. "I'm leaving! And I'm taking the flower with me!"

She turned towards the half-open door.

"Stop!" the creature shouted after her. "Listen to me! If you go through that door, you are putting yourself in far more danger than you can imagine! You have no idea what's out there. If you leave the ruins then they… he… **Mickey** … will take you."

Frisk turned around to face him again.

"Really?" she asked him sarcastically. "Mickey? That's the best name you got? Yeah sorry, but I'm not buying it."

"He's telling the truth Frisk," Flowey told her. "This time that is."

She turned her head towards Flowey to see if he was joking or not. Once she saw no hint of irony on his face, Frisk felt a sudden discomfort.

"Flowey…" the creature said, seeming to have finally noticed him. "My son."

"I'm not your son," the flower said to him with disgust in his voice.

"I-I know you're angry at me," the creature said. "I shouldn't have lied to your friend like that. Or to you for that matter. But I'll make it up for you. I promise. I'll even bake you your favourite pie, just the way you like it. Just come upstairs, and we'll go through this issue peacefully."

He took one step towards them. That one step was just enough to put Frisk into panic and instinctively pull out the knife. The creature expression turned into shock at the girl now pointing the knife at him.

"Don't!" Frisk said. "Don't come any closer."

"My child, where did you get that?" the creature asked. "You shouldn't be playing with that thing. It's dangerous."

He took another step.

"DON'T!" Frisk yelled, and the tone in her voice became more worrying. "Please, I don't want to do this! Just let us go, that's all I'm asking you!"

The creature became silent for a few moments. Suddenly, his face took on a look of understanding as if the last remaining echoes of sanity within him came rushing forth.

"I understand," he said. "I understand that you want to go. These ruins are dark and lonely, and you might not like it here. But it's the best place for you. Here you are safe with warmth, food and companionship. Out there, it's cold and lots of untold dangers. You won't last very long. Please, Frisk, I am trying to protect you. Come back up here and- and I'll try to be better. I'll make this please as good and nice for you as I possibly can. We can even be... a family."

He reached towards her with an open palm.

"Please," he begged.

Frisk stared at the open hand, still holding the knife in her hand, and she felt a surge of guilt and sadness swell within her. The way the creature spoke with complete sincerity touched her like a gentle parent she never had. It made her realize just how awful she had acted. She slowly pointed the knife at the floor and looked at the begging monster. But she had made her choice, and she was gonna through with it, no matter how much she knew it would hurt the monster.

"Remember?" Frisk began "What you told me yesterday? You said I had the power and will to make my own choices in this world. That I could make my own paths. I understand what you are trying to do here, and I appreciate that. But I want to go home as well. I know of the dangers that are out there, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life in this place because of that. Sorry old man, but I've made my choice. We're going."

The creature looked at her and his face seemed to take in a hint of sadness. He put down his hands and closed his eyes as if to hold back tears. Then he opened them, and they had taken on a look of understanding.

"If you really want to go so bad," the creature began. "If leaving the safety of this place will make truly you happy, even while knowing of the dangers that are out there, then frankly… I won't stop you."

Frisk felt a slight rush of relief.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry for-"

"But please…" the monster continued. "I beg of you with all my heart, just do one thing for me."

 _Oh boy_ , Frisk thought.

The creature put out his hand again.

"Give me back my son," he said. "Please."

Frisk felt the flower stir in her backpack.

"Don't do it, Frisk," he said. "Please don't leave me alone with this madman."

"I just want my son," the creature said. "That's all I'm asking for and then you can go and do whatever you want."

Frisk turned her head back to the flower who looked extremely afraid.

"Don't even think about it," he said. "You know I am the only one who can get you home."

"My son is very weak," the creature continued. "Very fragile in fact. He can't even walk. He will not last long out that grim world. So please, if you can find it in your heart, give me him back. Please. I am not able to live with myself after losing two children at once."

"Frisk!" Flowey said. "Please."

Frisk saw how it seemed powerless and begging. Then she turned to the monsters and saw the exact same glint of pleading in his blue and orange eyes. But it wasn't a hard choice for her to make though, even though it hurt a little.

"Sorry old man but no," she said confidently. "He's coming with me."

Frisk heard Flowey sigh in relief.

"Thank you, Frisk," he said.

"You…"

It was as if in that exact moment, everything surrounded them changed. Every element around them took on a drastic turn. The air became uncomfortably thick, and the warmth ever increased like a fire was burning the walls. The creature face turned dark and bleak, and his skinny hands shook like bare hands in the winter snow.

"You…" he repeated. "You dare… to take my son from me…"

"Oh shit," Frisk said.

The creature's hands began to glow orange, and his eyes seemed to light on fire.

"Oh that indeed," Flowey said. "Let's get the heck out of here!"

Without even thinking about it, Frisk turned around so quickly that it might as well have been in an instant and began to squeeze herself through the door as hard as she could.

"Come back here!" the creature yelled after her.

Fireballs appeared in his hand, and he launched them in Frisk's direction like missiles. Frisk felt the warmth of one that just passed above her head, and she saw it fly distantly into the long corridor.

The creature then gave out a loud roar which echoed loudly through the corridor, and suddenly, he began to run inhumanly fast towards.

"Frisk hurry the heck up!" Flowey yelled.

"I'm almost there!" she replied. "Almo-"

She felt something heavy grab her backpack and it was pulling her inward.

"FRISK!" yelled Flowey.

Before being completely pulled in, Frisk managed to grab at the edge of one of the doors. She groaned as she resisted the immense strength of the large monster, and Frisk felt as if she was in a hurricane. The blade of the knife in her hand was squeezing at her fingers, and she felt the blood leak down her hand and drip on the floor.

"I gave you a home!" the creature said furiously. "I gave you comfort and food, and I have gone so far as to allow you to go! And you repay me with this?! By stealing my only child?! You ungrateful brat!"

"LET ME GO YOU-"

There came a distinguished ripping sound from behind Frisk. She was pulled back as the backpack was torn from the sleeves. She quickly and loudly hurled on the floor as loads of torn pieces and contents of the backpack flew in the air. The creature also fell on his back, due to the unnecessary amount of strength in his pull.

Frisk felt like the world was spinning. The impact of her fall was incredibly sudden, and she landed with the back of her head. Still, she fought and tried with all her might to stand up. It was harder than it seemed, and it was like the world was going in slow-motion. She closed a fist around the red-hued knife still in her hand and rolled onto her stomach where she managed to pull herself up on all fours with her knees on the ground. She saw the monster laying in front of her, groaning and surrounded by torn backpack pieces, and in the middle of them both, there lay a single dazed flower.

Then without any consideration, Frisk sprung up and ran towards it.

"NO!" she heard the creature yell.

Just as Frisk managed to grab the flower, the creature launched at her like a hungry bear and the flower and knife flew from her hands. There came a loud thump as they crashed on the floor. It happened so fast it took Frisk a moment to absorb it. When she did, she was filled with fright as the large creature loomed over her and forced her down with his hands.

"Don't you dare take my son from me!" he growled.

Frisk looked around and saw the knife to her side, the red hue seeming to glow in the dimness. It was very close, yet just out of reach as if it was mocking her.

"Why?!" the creature said to her pitifully. "Why do you want to hurt me like this?!"

Frisk wasn't sure but for a moment, she thought she felt a tinge of sadness in his voice. But all that was immediately forgotten as she tried her hardest to grab the knife.

 _Almost there_ , she thought. _Just need to reach further._

"You are nothing like the others," the creature said sadly. "That's what I liked about you at first."

"Let go of me!" Frisk yelled.

She felt herself touch the handle.

 _Yes!_

"What are you-"

"LET GO!"

Frisk grabbed the knife, and in a rush of either adrenaline or instinct or both, she used all her strength and impaled the large monster under the armpits. The creature then stopped, and he stared at her in utter confusion and disbelief.

"What?" Frisk said.

She noticed her hand felt strange like it was elbow deep inside a wet and gooey cake. But she was more surprised by the monster's reaction, or lack thereof. Frisk expected him to maybe wince in pain or yell. Instead, he just stared at her like he had no idea what happened. Then the creature began to cough up a little blood.

"WHAT?" Frisk yelled.

 _I only stabbed him lightly_ , she thought. _Is this a trick? How is this possible?_

It was at that moment that Frisk realized the horrible mistake she had made. She looked at where she hit him and gasped in terror. She hadn't just stabbed him, but her hand had somehow pierced through him with the knife, and now she was as deep with her elbow inside his chest. To make things worse, the point of the knife was now coming out the other side.

"W… why?" the creature managed to ask feebly.

"I-I didn't mean to," Frisk said.

 _This can't be happening,_ she thought. _This can't be happening_.

"Ho-hold on," she said. "M-maybe I can fix this I.. just need... uhh..."

She began to pull out her hand with all her might. It proved slower and much more uncomfortable. She felt the sides of her arm touch dozens of slimy organs and hard bones, and she was sure she even felt a lung beating.

She groaned as she pulled out the last of her hand and knife, and the speed of her pull caused volumes of blood to spew on the walls and ceiling. It also caused the creature to let go of her, and he fell limp with his back on the floor beside her.

Frisk quickly stood up, breathing heavily and panicky, not even noticing her arm and hoodie sleeve was covered in wet blood.

The creature stared at the ceiling with wide open eyes. Frisk felt tears begin to form in her eyes.

"You-you can heal yourself right?" she asked in desperation. "Like you healed me. Back when you found me. You remember that right? Right?! You remember?!"

The creature looked up at her with eyes filled with sadness. Blood was spewing from his mouth and his side so a large red pool was forming slowly around the monster. Frisk felt herself growing sick.

"I-I'm so sorry m-my child," the creature said as blood spewed from his mouth. "I've… _cough_ … I've been a… a terrible father. Please… _cough_... forgive me… for… everything… _Cha-_

He coughed up some more of the loose blood which now filled up his throat.

" _Char-_ "

He coughed again, and he began to choke. But it was only for a short moment, since almost as quick as defusing a candle, the creature gave out one last gurgle before he seized all movements and his eyes became lifeless, dull and empty of life. The last thing they looked at, was at the frightened girl who had killed him.

Frisk let the knife fall from her hand, and it gave out a loud clang as it touched the floor. She didn't even notice or care that the blood on her was turning into dust particles which fell lightly on the floor like a slow waterfall of a thousand tiny feathers. Then the creature's yellow beard turned grey, and the horns became like sand. Afterwards, the fur and blood followed suid. In the end, all that lay on the floor was a dirty, ragged robe filled and surrounded by colourless dust.

Frisk fell down on her knees. She put her hands on her head and gave out a high pitch sounds similar to a person about to scream. Then she felt something crawl up her throat. She couldn't stop. She couldn't muster the strength to hold it in. It was coming up from her stomach like an avalanche of disgust. Frisk looked down on the ground and began to puke. She could identify her breakfast, her candy bar from yesterday and some brown mud amongst the foul pile. She felt another pull, and Frisk put her hands on her stomach and gave out another hurl.

It hurt, hurt plenty to empty her stomach like that, yet Frisk found herself unable to care for the pain. So many thoughts were in her mind, yet she somehow found herself also unable to think. It was like her mind was an empty train station surrounded by dozens of carriages, all heading its way but then taking a turn at the last moment.

She looked down at grey, dust-covered hands and it just dawned on Frisk these were hers, and thus her eyes began to water.

"Wow," said Flowey, breaking the immense silence of the room.

Frisk didn't bother to look at him. To her, it was like he wasn't even in the room.

"That was… something," Flowey continued.

He tried standing up before being reminded just how weak he was. The best he managed to do was crawl on the floor with his vine hands. it proved to be somewhat painful for him, yet he did it anyway.

"How is this possible?" Frisk asked no one in particular. "How did my hand manage to go through him like this? He was like 3 times my size and weight."

"Oh yeah I forgot about that," Flowey said. "Monster's are apparently super weak to humans. Generally, that is. Human bodies are mostly made of water and mass, while a monster body is magical in nature. It also strengthens or weakens depending on their mood and will to fight. Unfortunately, most monsters are kind-hearted."

He crawled in front of the pile and looked down at it analytically.

"Seems like deep down, he didn't want to fight you after all," he said. "If he did, he wouldn't have fallen so easily."

What Flowey said now just made Frisk feel infinitely worse. She began to sob and tears were falling faster down her face.

"Shame," Flowey said. "Eh, it happens. So anyways let's get going on."

He turned around and crawled a few steps while grunting in pain before noticing the bag was in utter tatters.

"Looks like the bags gone," he said. "Well, we're back to my idea then eh?"

"Is that all you're gonna say?" Frisk asked without looking up.

Flowey turned back around towards her.

"Excuse me?" he asked in confusion.

"I… said," Frisk repeated, and this time there was a hint of fury in her voice. "Is that all you're gonna say?"

She turned her head around and Flowey saw a young lady he barely recognized. Her eyes were red from tears, and her expression spoke grief and frustration. Flowey frowned condescendingly.

"Well what do you expect me to say?" he asked.

"I don't fucking know?!" Frisk said, almost shouting. "Maybe something like " it wasn't your fault Frisk" or… or… "I know this was bad, but it was either him or you" or… or just anything but-"

Frisk stopped mid-sentence and turned around to look down at the pile of dust on the floor. She put her hands on her head and began to shake lightly.

"I killed him," she said. "I just… killed someone. Someone I-I didn't mean to, and you're acting like I only spilt some fucking milk or something."

She turned around, and Flowey was shocked by the fury in her eyes.

"Have you got nothing for me?" she said to him.

Then Frisk went quiet, and the fury in her eyes faded like wind and returned to utter sorrow. She turned around back to the dust pile, and put her hands on her face and began to sob.

" _I'm so sorry_ ," the murmured amongst the tears. " _I'm so sorry_."

Flowey looked at her state and felt immense discomfort. He wasn't sure what it was or why, but looking at her like this was extremely uncomfortable for him.

He sighed and began to crawl towards her, barely paying attention to the pain it gave him.

"Look," he began as was beside her. "You're right ok? This wasn't your fault. You couldn't have had any idea that humans were immensely strong compared to monsters."

His voice became more stern.

"But accidents happen." continued said. "We learn from now. No matter how big it was, the best thing to do is move on. What happened, happened. If you want to stay here and skulk then, by all means, be my guest. But we need each other alright? And I'm not leaving until you're leaving."

Frisk didn't reply. She wasn't crying anymore. Just stared at the ground in thoughtful silence.

"Alright," Flowey said. "Ready when you are."

He turned around and crawled a few steps away, and he noticed that the pain wasn't as bad now.

"Hey my hands are getting stronger it seems," he said. "Or vines in my case."

There came a sound of something metallic being pulled up from the ground.

"Frisk?" Flowey asked curiously.

He turned around to her and saw an unusual sight. Frisk had picked up the red-hued knife and was now staring. It took a few moments for Flowey to realize what she was planning.

"No," he began. "No, no, no, no, don't you even dare thinking about doing it."

"You said that when you had my power," she began without looking up like she was speaking directly to the knife. "Resetting that is, you killed some people only to go back and befriend them afterwards."

"Yes!" Flowey confirmed. "But then I knew how to load without having to do… well, THAT."

"Well this is just the same, isn't it?" she asked. "Just more painful."

Flowey sighed.

"You have to move on sometimes y' know?" he said. "You can't just erase every single misstep you make."

Frisk chuckled a bit.

"Why not?" she said and finally looked at him. "If I had the ability to, why not? Didn't you do that often? Please don't tell me you did. When you had the ability to cheat life like this without consequence, don't tell me you didn't use it on every opportunity."

Flowey became quiet like a child caught in a lie.

"Yeah," he admitted. "But that was then, and-"

"Please," Frisk begged. "Just let me have this. Just this once, ok?"

Flowey looked at her in an almost loss of words. He was scared off this idea. Things were so much different now that he wasn't sure of the full consequences of resets. But it was clear that Frisk would do it with or without him. He sighed in defeat and shrugged.

"Don't have to get my permission," he said. "Just be quick about it alright?"

Frisk breathed a bit easier after hearing that.

"Thank you," she said.

She turned her head back around to face the knife. She felt a bit of relief of this choice, and dread at what she had to do to make it. She put both her hands on the handle and pulled the knife into the air, ready to strike.

"Frisk?" Flowey asked. "Frisk? FRISK?"

"What?!" Frisk said and turned around.

Flowey waited a short moment as if he was trying to find out what he was going to say. He looked extremely nervous about it.

"If I don't wake up again," he began. "If I go back to stasis after you reset."

Frisk was surprised when she noticed fear in his expression.

"Please don't leave me behind ok?" Flowey said. "Don't leave me alone with the old man. And even if I never wake up again while in your possession… still ok? I don't care about which places you go, just take me with you either way. Can you do that for me? Please?"

Frisk looked at him in silene. Even though he had been a bit of a pain, she couldn't find it in herself to refuse. Not one bit.

"Ok then," she said. "I promise."

Flowey looked immensely more relieved.

"Well I'll leave you to it then," he said.

Frisk turned around again to face the knife. She had had it floating in the air, ready to strike at any moment. Yet it felt hard. Hard, even though she knew she would be fine afterwards. She took a deep breath and prepared herself.

"Here goes nothing," Frisk said to herself.

She closed her eyes and pierced herself through the throat. The pain and sudden impact forced her eyes back open. She dropped the knife on the floor as she fell down on all fours. She had expected her death to be much faster.

Frisk choked and choked while volumes of blood began to leak out her open throat. She instinctively put her hand over the wound, but even if she wanted to stop it, it was no use. She tried to speak, tried to say something, but all she did was gag and gag. The world became blurry and unclear, and she saw her life flash before her.

Frisk fell down face first into the pool of her own blood and vomit, and she gagged a bit more before the last parts of her life faded from her. She lay down on the floor, with open and expressionless eyes like the old monster. After a painful while, she stopped, and she felt the world go dark and cold. And then, she was gone.

Flowey looked at the now dead girl lying down in front of him. He felt unnatural vibrations build up in the walls, ceiling and air like the world was collapsing on itself.

"Welp, here we go," he said to himself and closed his eyes.

...

 _Surprised to see you here Frisk. Didn't expect to see you show up._

 _Well, it's mandatory. Better this then having to go through detention again._

…

 _Is something the matter?_

 _Nah. Haven't been much into parties. You know that._

 _Well, you aren't going to have much fun by just standing in a corner. Why don't you try joining a little? Dance or even socialize a bit. I always say you need more friends._

 _Thanks, but no thanks. I've got other things planned either way. I'm uh, waiting for someone._

 _A bit too young to start dating don't you think eh?_

 _Come on, I'm *****. Besides, it's nothing like that ok?_

 _I was just trying to be funny is all._

 _Well, that failed._

…

 _Who are you waiting for anyway?_

…

 _You know who it is. Who else can it be?_

...

"Stop! Listen to me! If you go through that door, you are putting yourself in far more danger than you can imagine!"

It took a while for Frisk to comprehend her new surroundings. She turned around and saw the old monster standing in the hallway. Frisk smiled as she felt immense relief.

 _It worked_ , she thought. _It fucking worked_.

The only bad thing, she didn't go as far as she had expected or hoped.

"You have no idea what's out there," the creature continued. "If you leave the ruins then they… he… **Mickey** … will take you."

Frisk felt a large amount of stirring in her backpack.

"I'm awake!" Flowey said in ecstasy and laughed. "I'm awake! Oh, thank the angel and the gods or whatever's actually up there! Finally, some mercy in this miserable life!"

"Flowey…" the creature said, seeming to have finally noticed him. "My son."

"Oh yeah," Flowey said. "We still have to deal with this guy again."

Frisk's mind raced around at this moment as she tried her hardest to find something in the room that could stop the monster. Something that didn't involve either the knife or killing him. That's when she looked down at her feet and thought hastily of a crazy idea. She knew there was most likely a better idea, but in her panic, it was the best she could think of.

"I-I know you're angry at me," the creature said. "I shouldn't have lied to your friend like that. Or to you for that matter. But I'll make it up for you. I promise. I'll even bake you your favourite pie, just the way you like it. Just come upstairs, and we'll… Frisk? What are you doing?"

Frisk had pulled her left foot up and removed her shoe from it. She lost a bit of balance ripping it off. Now she stood in front of the half-open door, with one bare foot and a shoe in her arm

"What are you doing?" the creature asked gently.

"I'm terribly sorry in advance," Frisk said.

Then she chucked her shoe at the monster's face. The impact was larger than she expected, but a bit more than she hoped for. The creature wailed and fell on the floor, and blood began to spew out his snout. It took Frisk a moment to realize what she had done. She had broken old the creature's snout.

"Great thinking Frisk!" Flowey exclaimed. "Now go!"

Frisk didn't bother stopping to bewail on what she had done, and turned around and attempted to squeeze herself through the crack. She did feel a bit sorry, but she knew there was a better time for it.

 _At least he's not dead_ , Frisk though.

The opening was tight, so much so that she couldn't even turn her head around.

"NO!" she heard the creature yell, followed by quick footsteps.

She was so close now, perhaps closer than last time.

"C' mon!" she grunted. "C' mon!"

But then she felt the large hand of the creature touch and pull her backpack again.

"No!" Frisk exclaimed. "Not again!"

But, as if God or the angels or whatever it was that was guiding her had decided to be merciful, the creature suddenly let go and fell backwards while an unnatural sound which sounded like dozens of voices screaming at once came from him.

"I knew it!" Flowey exclaimed.

"What's happening back there?!" Frisk asked fearfully.

"He's doing the face shifting thing again!" Flowey answered. "Now's your chance! Go! GO!"

Frisk groaned as the last part of her squeezed through the opening. She almost fell on the floor once she came through.

"Close the door!" Flowey yelled almost immediately after they were out.

"Got it!" Frisk replied.

She turned around, put her hands on either side of the door, and began to push. It was a bit easier than opening it, but not by much. Frisk could feel her back was starting to ache now.

"Oohhhh, hurry up Frisk!" Flowey said anxiously.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Frisk said.

As she continued to push, Frisk looked through the crack and saw the old monster stand up, with a bloodied snout and fury in his eyes. He was like a demon rising from its hot. The creature's hand began to glow and then they lit on fire.

"Oh god!" Frisk said instinctively.

She pushed much harder now. She was close now. The crack was so small, only a mouse could squeeze through. Frisk yelled and pushed harder, and the creature yelled back as he launched towards the door.

At precisely that moment, the large door closed on him, and he instead landed on a solid, stone wall. Once he got back on balance he began to pound the door with his fist, screaming like an angry ape with every punch.

Frisk stopped in her tracks and looked around frantically for something to keep the door shut. She noticed there were two handles on either side of the door. Then she saw a large, bronze crossbar, laying on the wall.

Frisk didn't stop to consider or care why the crossbar was on this side and not the other one and quickly put it down on the handles. The creature pounded on the door again. It shook the door, but the crossbar stayed still on its hinges, and that's when Frisk turned around and ran down the hallway.

"You want to leave!" the creature yelled. "Fine! Get out then! Get out! GET OUT!"

He gave out a loud scream and punched the door with all his might. The impact left a large crack on it.

The creature then fell down on his knees, tired. He breathed heavily and angrily, not seeming to notice the blood leaking down his snout. He noticed that the hallway was quiet, dark and indistinguishable from the rest of the ruins. His fury faded as he fell back into reality, and he could feel was shame.

"Fr-Frisk?" he feebly asked. "Flowey? Are you still there?

There came no answer.

"P-please don't leave me. Ple-please don't. I-I'm sorry I…I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to be so angry. I uh… I-I don't want to be alone again I… Please don't let me be alone again. Not again. Not again!"

The creature began banging the door, to no avail. He then tried to push the door open, but it proved useless as well.

"Flowey! Frisk! Don't leave me alone down here! I'm sorry! For everything! I didn't mean to scare you or… or be so mad I…I… FLOWEY! SON! FRISK! ANYONE!

The fur on his cheek became wet with tears, he began to pound on the door so hard his knuckles began to bleed.

"COME BACK! IM SORRY, JUST PLEASE COME BACK! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE! Please! Please…"

He sank down on his knees in defeat, his face wet in tears.

"Oh gods," he wailed.

He put his bloodied palms to his face and began to bawl.

"Oh, gods… I'm… I'm so alone," he muttered. "Chara. Asriel. Don't leave me again. Please don't leave me again. Please, I-I can't do this again. Please don't leave me. Please don't. Please. Please…"

"Wow he's making a lot of noise back there," Flowey said, looking at the door growing ever more distant. "Man, I knew that creepy face thing had something to do with your resets. We got incredibly lucky back there, eh?"

Frisk didn't answer. She didn't chuckle or even sneer. Just walked forward emotionlessly like a soulless automaton. Flowey noticed it and couldn't understand why. He also realized that Frisk didn't seem frightened anymore. In fact, she seemed confident to walk now. Flowey couldn't ignore it. He felt he had to address her strange behaviour somehow.

"Frisk is there-"

"Let's just keep going," she quickly said, cutting him off.

Flowey frowned and looked back down the hall. The door was so far away now. You could barely see it.

"Is it because of what happened earlier-"

"Stop," Frisk said softly. "Just… stop. I just… it's just that…"

She sighed.

"Sorry," Frisk said. "I just don't wanna talk about it. Let's just keep going and… focus on what's ahead for now, ok?"

"Alright. If you say so."

Flowey looked at the distant door behind them, which was so far away now that it would have been nearly impossible to spot if you didn't know about its existence. But Flowey's thoughts were elsewhere now, on something that had been growing for the past few minutes that he now found impossible to ignore. It was an awful sensation he was feeling, not an exterior one like the discomfort of a bug crawling up his stem, or the sting of a leaf falling off him. The pain was inside of him, yet it was not of the physical sort. He felt it crawling in his soul like fear did before he knew his powers, but the strangest aspect of it was that it was also utterly familiar. Like he knew this sensation very much in a previous life. Could this awful sensation be… guilt?

No, it couldn't be. He couldn't feel any guilt. Not for another person that is. That would mean empathy and empathy was something he absolutely shouldn't be physically able to have, no wanted how much he wanted it. Yet, he felt different. Different ever since he fell into a coma, and much more after Frisk woke him from it. Could his missing emotions be growing again? Was the universe finally kind enough to give him back what he had been wishing for in over a decade? For the first time in a long while, Flowey felt incredibly hopeful. But he dismissed it almost immediately. Not much good came from hope he thought. Not in this world at least. But for the time being, Flowey felt in a strange sense, happy for feeling so bad.

Frisk emerged from the hallway, and entered a large open area, not unlike the one she was in when she fell. Only now, Frisk didn't have the energy to wonder about it. At the other end of this large opening, there was another large stone door. Frisk sighed once she saw it.

"Another door?" she said. "Alright. Let's get to pushing."

Thankfully though, this one was much lighter than the last one. After only pushing it a little bit, a heavy dose of cold, fresh air blew through, and both Frisk and Flowey realized just how heavy the air in the ruins had been.

On this other side of this door was snow. Snow, and dozens of trees reaching far, far away. For a moment, Frisk felt a bit overjoyed she thought she had finally made it out of the mountain. But then she looked up from out of the door and saw a distant cave ceiling. Not to mention, Frisk knew it was only September.

"Still underground are we?" Frisk asked.

"I'm afraid so," replied Flowey.

Frisk sighed.

"How far does it go?" she asked.

"As far as our eyes can see, if I recall," Flowey said. "These caverns are much wider than the mountain would suggest. That's because it reaches deeper, and farther, and if that's not enough, the air is made of magic and so some of the rules don't work the same here as on the surface. For example, east down here could mean west above, and going right could mean going up. and so on and so forth"

Frisk took a deep breath, taking all this information in.

"All right," she said. "So where are we headed."

"The exit we are looking for," Flowey continued. "Is near the end of the caverns, at the top of the king's castle in the capital. It will take a long time to get there. Days if not weeks. You might die. A lot. Be it by some monster that wants to stop you, or some deadly traps or hazards. My memory is unfortunately still not complete, so I don't know much of what we will encounter besides the general gist of things. Not to mention, lots must have changed for the past 5-6 years so even if my memory was perfect, it might have still not been enough. But I still remember the map of this place from top to bottom. Landscapes don't change in only half a decade. I can tell you, the king's castle will be one of the hardest points, but from what I recall, it will not be the hardest obstacle of this journey. That belongs to Mickey."

"Who is this Mickey anyway?" Frisk asked.

"Wish I could tell you," Flowey said. "I don't remember much about Mickey besides his name, unfortunately. All I know is that we have to stay clear of him, no matter what."

"Can't be that bad," Frisk said. "Not with my powers I mean."

"Well see about that," Flowey said. "Hope it won't be too much of a nuisance though."

Frisk smiled a little now. She looked down at the wide open and snowy area and felt a rush of determination.

"Alright," she said. "Let's go."

She took a deep breath and walked out the door. It was clear to her that their journey had just begun.

"Y'know?" Flowey began as she stepped on the snow "I got a feeling. A feeling that this is perhaps just the start of something wonderful."

* * *

Author's note:

So I finally discovered the real reason as to why I write so long.  
I am just very lazy.

But anyways, after a long while, I am finally done with the ruins arc. This chapter here is the longest by far, spanning over 17 pages on my Drive. I was to be honest, I am not really sure about it. After I finish every chapter, I have a tendency to go over it from beginning to end to see if there is something I don't like and change it, or maybe see if there are some typos of sorts. It is perhaps the most boring part of this hobby, but since I don't have an editor, I basically do it all by myself.

Now since this chapter was like super long, I basically spent the last hour just going over it and, I kind of became tired and skimmed through a big part of it. So in short, there may be something I am not happy about later, and I'll probably go back to this story and edit it a bit. I'm also afraid that I made Frisk a bit too unlikable in this, but I just wanted to portray an emotional teenager discovering that someone she was beginning to like betrayed her, so I'm hoping I achieved that.

But anyway, we are finally done with the ruins arc after a few moments. The next chapter though, won't be for the Snowdin forest though. Not yet at least. You see, in between the end and beginning of every "arc" so to speak, there will be a short interlude chapter. These chapters will follow different characters, and they all relate to the main story somehow. Maybe they are foreshadowing future events, or they'll introduce characters that will appear much later or both. But they all relate to the story. You'll just have to figure out how by yourselves. At least until it's revealed of course.  
I ain't telling what the first interlude is about, except that it will be a bit... well... magical.

But anyway, I hope you guys and gals stick around in the future and updates will come soon.


	10. Interlude 1

**Interlude 1: An old "man" named Gil**

 **London 14th November**

 **The year 2115**

Gil sat down in his cushioned couch, frowning like usual, while in front of him stood Melissa, his apprentice, with her hands folding in irritation. Melissa was a young woman of 21, with dark ebony skin and long raven black hair let loose on her shoulders. She was dressed in a blood-red sleeveless shirt, and inconspicuous sky-blue jeans of cheap, organic material. In short, nothing that really made her stand out from a woman of her age.

If she looked like the average girl of the modern age, then Gil was like the residue of an old century that refused to die, which would also describe him nicely to anyone who knew him properly. It was hard to believe that these two people were even from the same time period, much less being in the same room.

Gil had the look of a decrepit old man in his 80s. His long, dirty hair was like white seaweed, his sickly skin was elderly and bony with a soft green hue on its pale complexion, and his fishy sea coloured eyes looked wide and squinty. His attire was on a much fancier side, however, consisting of a complex looking night robe of smooth silk fitting an old king coloured violet with yellow patterns and markings on it, while on his foot wore simple, yellow sandals. He leaned a bit forward, holding himself still with a cane of dark brown wood, which seemed to show no signs of splinters or any imperfections.

Gil looked at the young woman in front of him, noting the way she seemed upset not at what she had done, but at the fact that she knew he didn't approve of it, and he gave out a deep sigh.

 _This is why I never had any children_ , he thought.

The heavy November snow splattered against the windows like rubber bullets and melted into wet patters that overlayed on top of each other over and over again. The neon lights of the city shone in the night in all the rainbow colours, and in the distance could be heard the sounds of cars and other vehicles breaking through the snow. Not many cars came through this neighbourhood though, since it was old and in ruins with most of the buildings being abandoned, filled with squatters or used as gang hangouts. This building, in particular, looked from the outside as broken down the rest of the ones in the street. On the inside though, it looked as fancy and clean as a rich man's manor, although much smaller and with only one floor.

In the living room of this house stood the current duo, staring at each other in silence. Both knew what was going to come next, and neither of them looked forward to it.

"So," began Gil. "I guess I don't have to remind you why we are here, having this conversation do I?"

Melissa didn't answer. Just stood in silence, her arms still folded. Gil shook his head in shame.

"How many times did we go over this thing in this very room?" he continued. "How many times did I have to remind you of the consequences that the reckless use of your gifts could entail? Never, though, has this discussion mattered as much as it does now. Frankly, I had suspected you would do something like this sooner or later, yet still, I am deeply disappointed in you either way."

Melissa scoffed as if to say that she expected him to make those exact words.

"It's not like anybody saw," she said.

"Of course no one saw," replied Gil. "Except for the 10 or so bystanders. And the boy you rescued of course."

"You know I erased his and all their memories the first thing afterwards," Melissa said.

"And that was good," Gil replied. "Very smart and quick thinking of you in fact. But do you know what can't be erased so easily? Do you know the type of memories that in this day and age can't be removed as simple as flicking a wrist, no matter how powerful a mage you are and even after the person making them has long since died?"

He leaned a bit forward as he wanted her to especially hear this next part.

"Photographs," he said simply. "Photographs and videos."

"Look, even if some guy manages to record this thing and upload it online, no one is going to think it's real," Melissa said.

"I am not talking about some random sod with a cheap phone recorder!" Gil said strongly. "And you know that of course. There are live cameras everywhere in this city. In this country even. You can't go piss in an alleyway in this day and age without risking your entire ordeal being uploaded live to the government's database."

"I've told you already, there were no live cameras pointing in his direction, I checked," Melissa said, sounding frustrated. "How many times do I have to tell you this?"

"So if there was a camera pointed in his direction, you definitely wouldn't have saved him either way eh?" Gil asked sarcastically.

Melissa went quiet and looked away.

"Don't lie to me," Gil said. "I know you would have."

"So even if I saved him in front of a camera, so what?" Melissa asked.

Gil looked incredibly insulted by what she just said.

"So what?!" he asked. "Have you learned nothing in these past few months?! Have you learned nothing your entire life?!"

"I really doubt that within the countless minutes of footage that's uploaded every day," Melissa began and looked back at him. "They would have even noticed anything wrong in the few seconds of a guy laying down then standing up when some random woman touched him a bit."

"Even if it was just an inkling of footage," the old wizard emphasized. "Even if only a single person saw, we can't risk anything we do getting out. Not after all this effort to conceal it."

"So you are saying I should have just let him die?" Melissa asked.

Gil became silent.

"Should I have?" Melissa pressed him.

"Yes," Gil said simply. "Yes, you should have. He wouldn't have benefited us in the least, and so you were in no position to help him. You didn't even cause his state, not even indirectly. He would have died, and neither he nor anyone around would have had any knowledge of the existence either of us. This thing we share here is more valuable than the life of a single boy."

Melissa scoffed and rolled her eyes. She had suspected him to say something like that, yet she hated hearing it nonetheless.

"When I came all the way here to be your student, all those months ago" she began. "I expected you to be better than this. My father-"

"Amal may have been a great man," interrupted Gil and stood up from his couch. "But he was also stubborn, dimwitted and incredibly short-sighted for a man of his age. His kindness and sense of justice was an admirable trait at times sure, but due to it he also constantly risked everything I, his mother, and all the other had built this past millennium. Yet every time we tried to warn him about it, about the dangers the reckless use of his powers could bring to the order of the world, he just smirked looked the other way. And now, many years later, tell me. Where is he now?"

Melissa looked at him, mouth agape in shock. Off all the insults and complaints Gil had ever given her these past few months, this was without a doubt the worst thing he had ever uttered to her so far.

"How dare you?!" she asked him. "He was my father!"

"So?" Gil said simply. "Just because he was your father doesn't mean he's above criticism, alive or dead. To his credit though, he taught you well in terms of the arcane, but his way of life, the way he has drilled into your brain, is outdated. Hell, it was outdated long before you were even born. The world changes, and thus the rules have to change as well. If you don't approve of my methods, then you can go. Go. I'm not stopping you."

He leaned uncomfortably close to her, so close that you could barely squeeze a palm between them.

"And if you do," Gil continued with much more emphasis on his words. "Then good luck finding yourself another magician."

He walked past her and headed for the living room door. Melissa unfolded her arms and turned her hands into fists by her side. She wanted to shout at him, maybe insult him with the vilest insults her deep heart could manage, but Melissa knew that there would be no good from it. She was taught that a long time ago.

Gil opened the fancy door to his room and then stopped in his tracks. He turned his head slightly around and said:

"If you want to stay as my pupil, then we'll continue your training at 12 o'clock in the morning. You know where to find me. Let me know when you come to a decision until then. You are dismissed. Good night."

With that said, he went through the door and closed it behind him.

About an hour had passed since that moment, and Gil was now sitting by his lonesome in the living room chair. The snowstorm had gotten calmer and was now just a light drip on the windows. Gil had also turned off the holographic fireplace, and the ticking antique style digital clocks. Gil always liked the silence. It reminded him of when he was young, a long long time ago, before the era of bustling cities and worldwide connection. Partly why he picked such a desolate place to be his home. He considered picking an abandoned farmstead as his place at first, but this house had a deep personal meaning to him.

Gil tried not to think about what had occurred in this very room not so long ago. Gil was a very patient man and could handle more than a single outburst. He believed that this patience is what had kept him alive for so long, that it's what kept him determined.

He looked outside the windows at the buildings covered in multicoloured lights. He found it hard to believe that this was the same world he was born in. He reflected on how much it changed in just a few centuries, and now he wished he could live to see how it would change in the next few. Unfortunately, his magic seemed to be reaching its limits, and his age was now finally starting to catch up with him after all this time. Gil began to realize that fully once his eyesight became worse and worse in the past decades. He calculated that he had only about a century to live, two if he was lucky. But Gil had accepted that fact. He had accepted it a long time ago, that he was one of the last fading sparks of a long-forgotten era.

There were no active cameras outside pointing in the direction of the house, Gil noticed. Still, just to be sure, Gil walked up to the red velvet curtains and closed them. Then he walked back and sat down his cushion chair and gave out a short sigh. It was finally a good time for him to shed this disguise.

He removed his shoes with his feet and loosened up his gown. His grey hair turned greener and oily, and his skin became and paler. The gills on his stomach were the first to appear. He felt them open up to his lungs, and breathe out some loose air. Next, his feet began to lengthen and the toes fuse with one another, forming what looked two like flesh coloured fins. His hands then followed suit and became webbed. His ears became fin-like, and his mouth began to elongate like a fish head. Then his teeth became sharp as a piranha, and at last, his transformation was complete as his skin took on a scaly texture. Gil gave out a nice relaxing sigh as his veil had been taken off finally, like socks he had to wear all day. He leaned his head on the top of the cushioned chair and dozed into a short sleep.

There came a sudden knock on the living room door, and a well built looking man wearing a suit with clay looking white skin came through.

"Apologies," the man said immediately with a stoic tone. "I didn't know you were shedding tonight master."

"Wallace," replied Gil, awake again now. "It's ok, you may come in. What is the matter?"

"Not much really," Wallace replied, still showing no emotions. "Just came to let you know that Melissa has informed me through the phone that she is going to stay here as your apprentice."

"Hmm, that's great," Gil said. "Is there anything else?"

Wallace became unusually quiet for a moment.

"Yes," he said after a while. "In fact, there is one more thing."

 _Oh boy_ , Gil thought.

"Alright, out with it," he demanded.

Wallace walked into the room proper and stood besides Gil in his chair. There he turned his entire body around and leaned down a bit to his master.

"I couldn't help but overhear… the dialogue you had with miss Melissa in the last hour," Wallace admitted.

"Are you eavesdropping again, Wallace?" Gil asked.

"Apologies," the butler replied. "It was not my intention to. My hearing is unfortunately too good, so I could hear everything that occurred between you two even behind two walls."

"Nah it's ok," said Gil. "So was that all you're gonna say or is there more?"

"There is more," said Wallace.

Gil sighed, sensing what was coming.

"I passed by Melissa as she came from the living room and headed outside," Wallace continued. "She seemed to be in a hurry as she didn't seem to notice even bumping into me. Either that or she was in much emotional distress, which I am more inclined to believe as I had managed to glimpse her face before she left. It looked like she was a bit angry and sad, most likely related to some of the things you said about late sir Amal, her father, just a few minutes before. So I know I wasn't made to give such advice, but if I may dare suggest, for the sake of not just her wellbeing but yours as well, that the next time you meet her, which could be tomorrow if the next hours will be without any issues, that you should perhaps find it in you to apologize to her and-"

"That'll be all Wallace, good night," interrupted Gil.

Wallace adjusted himself back without hesitation and gave out a small bow.

"I'll be in my quarters if you need me," he said. "Of course, you can always just call me from your room if it's an emergency. Or if you just won't bother standing up like usual."

"That'll be duly noted, thank you very much," Gil said and chuckled.

The clay skinned butler bowed again and left the room, leaving Gil alone once again.

Gil gave out another sigh, this one more exasperated than the last.

 _What would I do without you Wallace?_ he thought. _A lot of things maybe. But you keep me sane at least. That's all that matters about you in my eyes._

Gil lay his head back on his chair and closed his eyes. He didn't dream much, not anymore that is, but he at least knew the value of sleep. This was a long day for him, and he hoped that the next day was at least a lot less tiring.

Barely ten minutes had passed until there was a knock on the front door. Gil opened his large eyes immediately and sighed in frustration.

"Wallace!" he yelled. "The door!"

"On it!" the butler yelled back.

"If it's yet another of those preacher drones!" Gil yelled. "Then tell it to shove off! I've got enough problems as is!"

Gil lay his head back to try another attempt at sleeping. After about a minute, there came a knock on the living room door and Wallace peaked through.

"There is a young man out here," he said. "Irish judging by his accent. He says he wants to speak to you personally."

 _Who the hell could that be?_ Gil thought.

"Tell him he's picked the wrong house," he told his butler. "I've got no meeting planned with anyone."

"Sir," Wallace continued. "He says he knows you're a magician."

Gil turned his head around in shock.

 _What?_ he thought. _Did someone see Melissa's dumb hero act? Of course, someone did. That someone must've tracked her down and followed her to me._

Gil sighed.

"I warned that lady," he said. "I told her something like this could happen. Fine, I'll say hi to him for a moment. Shut him up if I can."

He stood up from his chair and went out of the living room, but not before quickly putting back on his human guise.

"I should warn you though," Wallace said after him. "This young man had some strange, unfamiliar aura to him. Might be magical in nature-"

"Yeah, yeah," Gil said as he headed to the front door.

 _This man is going to be a perfect example to use tomorrow,_ Gil thought. _She might now think twice before using her powers in public again._

He opened it up and a breeze of cold air followed by some snow came blasting through the door, and Gil saw a strange figure on the other side. What Gil poor eyesight could only make out at first was a strange black silhouette with blinding lights in the background. Then he blinked a bit, and the silhouette turned into a clearer figure. The figure was tall and dressed top to bottom in a thin, dark green winter jacket, and his face was hidden from a large hood he sported. Both his hands were inside the jacket pocket.

"Who are you?" Gil asked grumpily. "What do you want."

"I'd like to come inside, first of all," the mysterious man spoke.

The man spoke with a deep voice that had a tinge of an Irish accent in it, just like Wallace suspected.

"Look, if it's something you can tell me right now then out with it," Gil replied.

"Well aren't you impatient," the man said. "Funny. I had heard that patience was your strongest trait. Or did I confuse you with some other wizard?"

 _Wait, he can't be talking about soul traits, is he?_ Gil thought. _And what does he mean by heard of me? Haven't I've been perfect in erasing any traces of my life?_

"Did you just call me a wizard eh?" Gil asked back, trying to sound befuddled. "Aren't you a bit too old to believe in fairy tales?"

The strange man chuckled in response.

 _Is he amusing himself?_ Gil thought.

"You don't have to pretend Gil," the younger one said. "I already know who you are."

Gil felt a fear growing within him.

 _How does he know my name?_ Gil thought. _How does he know any of this?_

"Look boy," he said with a tone of confidence. "You are not the first crazy or junkie to come barging on this door, asking about some… voodoo magic or shit, and you definitely won't be the last. Whatever you heard of me, it's bullshit. Plain and simple. Now shove off, and have a good night."

But just as Gil began to close the door, the wind suddenly increased in power and the door blew wide open, nearly off its hinges. Next, the mysterious man pulled up a strange stick from his pocket and aimed it besides Gil. Before Gil could react, the stick suddenly turned into a spear which extended to unnatural length and impaled the wall on the other side of the front door. Gil watched all this unfold in confusion and shock.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

The man's spear pulled backwards and shrunk back to the size of a stick.

"You tell me," he replied. "I thought you were an expert in these sort of things."

Gil was suddenly reminded of what Wallace had just told him which he dismissed.

This young man had some strange, unfamiliar aura to him.

He looked at the mysterious stranger and raised his hand to sense his soul. At first, there was nothing unusual about it, despite the incredibly high determination in it which was still possible in normal humans. Then he felt something else. Something that he had almost forgotten the sensation of. It entwined the stranger's soul and seemed bound to it like a conjoined twin. Yet, Gil found it hard to place what it was. Then he looked into his past to try and find something he could remember resembling it. Then after a few moments, he found it and was hit by an immense shock. This sensation was that of a monster's soul.

 _No_ , Gil thought. _It can't be._

"You are… a halfbreed," he said in disbelief.

The stranger chuckled.

"Hope so," he said. "Never knew my father. It would make my life a lot more interesting."

"I thought we wiped out the last of your filth ages ago," Gil said.

The man chuckled again.

"Looks like you missed a few," he said. "Funny you should refer to them like that. Filth. Especially since that if the stories are true, you are only half-human yourself eh? It doesn't look like they called you The Merman because you had a tail for legs. Doubt they were referring to the one between your legs either."

 _How the hell does he know about my silly title?_ Gil thought.

"Well, what makes you think I won't simply kill you right here and there?" the old man asked.

"Fine then," the man said nonchalantly. "Do it. Of course, the cars passing by here in a while might wonder why there is suddenly a dead man covered in blood lying on your doorstep."

"You'll just turn to dust," lied Gil. "And then the fools will think you're snow."

The young man became quiet for a moment and then chuckled once more.

"We both know that's not how it works," he said. "That is, of course, assuming you're right and I am in fact a "halfbreed" as you say. But even if halfbreed corpses really do turn to dust, I have a feeling you wouldn't kill me either way."

"Why not?" asked Gil.

The man became silent once again. This time, it seemed like the silence was due to the fact that he was looking for the right words to say.

"If you really wanted to kill me," the man began after a short while. "You would have invited me in the second you suspected I was a halfbreed and then done it in quiet. I am no match for you, and you know that. In fact, you could burn me to ash right here and then let the wind take the remains. And yet… you haven't. Why?"

Gil didn't speak. He sensed that it was true of the stranger in that he was much more powerful than him, yet it was also true he did nothing. He tried to think of a justification why but realised he was stumped. He wasn't sure he even knew the answer himself.

"You feel lonely don't you?" the man suddenly asked.

Gil felt those words suddenly hit him in a place he didn't know he had. It was like the stranger managed to grasp the reason for his actions before Gil even knew of it himself.

"What makes you say that?" Gil asked.

The stranger shrugged.

"Why wouldn't you be?" he asked. "Stories say that ever since the great purge, you decided to keep your life so you could use your powers for the good of the world, even though you were one of the so-called "filth" yourself. For a long time after that, you have believed that you were the last of your kind. The last halfbreed. It truly must be lonely to wander the earth for dozens of lifetimes with no-one that can share your experience."

"But now," the stranger continued. "Suddenly after a long time, comes a mysterious person, a possible halfbreed not to mention, into your life. I have come for your help, and your help in particular even while knowing of your infamous reputation with your own kind, and yet I have shown you no ill will. Not only that, as I said earlier, I know I am no match for your powers. And yet…"

The strangers spread his arms wide in the air.

"Here I am," he continued. "So, what will it be, old man? Will you help me?"

Gil became silent again. He felt a bit angry at this stranger, mostly due to his cocky nature and the way he seemed to know so much about him somehow, but not just when it came to his history. The stranger was right, as much as Gil didn't want to admit it. He really did feel lonely, and the way the stranger spoke about it sent a strange sadness into him. Gil gave out a short sigh, and for the first time in a while, he decided against his usual best interests.

"You talk much don't you?" he began. "Fine. You win. For now."

The stranger chuckled.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Gil replied. "So what do you want?"

The stranger became quiet like he felt uncomfortable answering that question. He put his hand on his hood and pulled it off finally revealing his face. From what Gil could discern with his weak eyesight, he looked for the most part like he was a normal-looking man in his thirties with a trimmed beard and clear blue eyes, but there seemed to be something strange about his head, which the growing fog and Gil's weakening eyesight made it hard for him to discern what it was. What it seemed to resemble though, was that it looked like the man a pair of hairy brown tentacles growing out of his head.

Then, the stranger said:

"I want to become your apprentice."

* * *

Author's note:

Well, this is perhaps the fastest update I have ever made.

Anyways, here is the first interlude of the Shattering. I have been looking forward to writing this part for a long time. Now how it actually relates to the main story, I ain't telling. It will become clear later, but in the meantime, you may theorize what the deal is with this weird old man and his companions. And what is up with that stranger in the end (assuming the implication I made wasn't obvious enough).

As for the main story, the next chapter will obviously be the Snowdin forest, no major spoilers there I hope. We'll also meet a bunch of popular characters, and there are one or two surprises I have planned there. But unfortunately, yet again, you'll have to wait a while. Many of you that follow me may have noticed that I am "rebooting" the politics bear story, which will be the main reason for the delay. The first chapter won't be that different however, it's just that it's been so long since I've made updates to it that I thought I might as well just call it a reboot at this point. So that's another story you can look forward to, and I will work on that as soon as I /  
I am also still working on my original short story, which I'll try to finish before the spring break is over.

So until then, I'll see you next time.

Late edit, December 1st, 2019:

I fixed some typos and spelling issues I noticed as I checked over this chapter again. I also added a few more extra words where I thought it was appropriate.


	11. The Forest Part 1

**Chapter 2: The Forest - Part 1**

As the cool air touched her cheeks and the heavy snow filled her autumn-boots with each step, it just dawned on Frisk that she had never been in such a snowy place her entire life. Every tree, every rock, every breeze in the air seemed to just scream winter, or at least what Frisk imagined winter used to look like in her world many decades ago. To her, this forest and air felt incredibly enchanting and unreal, and these things mixed with the distant cavern roof above with glowing gems looking like stars made the place feel incredibly wast and open. It was no longer a cavern at this point, but rather a whole new world.

On the other hand though, with its vastness came the fear of the unknown, and like in the old city in the ruins, Frisk felt like there were eyes at every corner, and inside every dark place looking back at her. It, strangely enough, made her feel more dread than the claustrophobic hallways, as in those she at least knew all possible exists and vantage points. This time she wasn't alone though, and she was very happy about it.

"You, uh, remember this place Flowey?" she asked, mostly to break the eerie silence.

Flowey didn't answer, but Frisk knew he was still there as she felt him stirring in her backpack. He was stirring unusually much.

"Uhh, Flowey?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, n-nothing," Flowey said, trembling. "Just, uh, freezing my stems off over here. Gods, I always hated this place. The cold is unbearable for a flower like me-no _especially_ for a flower like me! We are summer creatures for crying out loud. Made for heat and water, not this meddlesome cold and ice! Ever see a sunflower growing in the winter? Hmm? Of course not!"

"Wait are you gonna die?" Frisk asked, feeling a bit worried.

"Obviously not," Flowey said. "If I was weak enough to wither in this breeze, I never would have asked you to take me with you out of here. Thankfully, I am not just an ordinary sunflower, far from it in fact. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I am going to close myself off from the world for a while."

"Wait what are you-"

But before Frisk could finish her question, she was immediately answered by the sound of the flower rumbling and a zipper closing in her bag. Then he stopped.

" _Ahh, that's a bit better_ ," said a muffled voice in her bag. " _Still not perfect though. Still just a tiny bit of breeze in here though, and dark. But hey, better to be in complete darkness than in complete… uh, coldness or whatever it's called. But anyway Frisk, if you're lost and need me, then just shake the bag or pull me out or something. The cold here is not much, but it will most likely keep me from sleeping either way._ "

"Alright, I'll keep those things in mind," replied Frisk.

" _What?_ " Flowey asked. " _Can you speak a bit louder? Didn't hear a single bit of what you just said_."

"Forget it," Frisk said to herself.

The road ahead of her was distinctly carved out, so not only was it hard to lose your way, but it also signified that this underground forest wasn't completely abandoned. Once Frisk realized that she just felt worse. Even though she knew that death was not final for her, the mystery and fear of the unknown still got to her.

Then she stopped in her tracks as she noticed that there was something unusual on the road. It was hard to spot normally, but since there was not much going on around at the moment, Frisk noticed it as soon as she looked down.

"What the hell?" she muttered to herself.

There were strange, small footprints on the road. At first, Frisk thought that these were her footprints signifying that she was going in circles. Feeling a bit nervous at this thought, Frisk put her foot on top of one print to test this theory. Fortunately for her, the footprints didn't match her size, proving to be much smaller, likely belonging to a young kid or someone with dwarfism. But then she looked closer at the footprints and realized they were fairly recent. A tinge of dread filled her insides.

"Ok, that's not good," she whispered to herself.

Frisk continued her walk down the road. After a few more meters, she noticed that the strange footprints seemed to curve a bit. She stopped and examined their path and saw that they now curved outward from the road and led to somewhere far into the forest.

She looked back down the road ahead and saw that it ended on a large, wooden fence. Next, she looked at the beaten path and saw it lead into the depths of the forest. Now despite her growing worry, her curiosity also grew, and Frisk felt an urge to at least check. Then, even knowing how dangerous it could be, Frisk couldn't resist her curiosity and headed off the path.

"What's the worst that can happen?" Frisk said to herself, as she trudged through the thick snow. "Well, I could die for one. Not that it matters anyway. Yeah… still not used to that fact."

The outward path grew thicker and thicker with snow, making hard for her to navigate. With every step, Frisk could feel the snow fill her boots and wet her socks and jeans. After a while, she stopped, ankled deep in snow and feeling tired from the effort.

"Fuck it," she said to herself. "Not worth getting lost over."

But before she turned around, she noticed something in a bush ahead beside one tree. The footprints led to it, and there was clearly something inside. Some sort of weird shape. Frisk could once again not resist her curiosity now and continued to follow the prints. As Frisk closed in on the bush, the first thing she noticed was the terrible smell that grew all of a sudden. It smelled like something, or someone was rotting.

Frisk didn't think much of it, at first. Then she saw the strange thing in the bush much clearer, and her mind went immediately into dark places. It seemed to resemble a figure wearing piles of dirty clothes.

 _Is that… what I think it is?_ Frisk thought.

Frisk felt she had to know. She was frightened, of course, but she felt she had to know if her mind was right. So she crept closer, and closer, till she was right above the bush. Then she looked inside and gasped.

"Oh my god!" she cried and backed a few steps away in shock.

There was a skeleton in the bush. A human skeleton, no doubt, about the size of a young child. It wore a blue winter jacket with a grey hood and a plain white t-shirt underneath, visible since the jacket was open. It also wore black, short sport jeans and grey slippers. The bones were unusually thick, and the rib cage swelled outward suggesting that in life, the owner of it used to be fat.

" _What's going on out there Frisk?!_ " Flowey yelled from the bag, having heard her shocked cries.

"Th-there's a dead body here!" Frisk said. "A human kid I think!"

" _What?! Are you sure?!_ "

"Yeah!" Frisk confirmed. "It certainly looks like one! I mean, monster's turn to dust when they die right?! Or at least, that's how I seem to understand it. Do they even have skeletons?!"

" _Well, sort of! They don't really work or look exactly like human ones do though! Plus, the bones dissolve once they are no longer in the body! Just like all the other things inside of them do!_ "

"Oh, it's definitely a human then!" Frisk said, feeling a lot more uncomfortable now. "God, poor kid."

" _Any idea what caused it?!_ "

"No clue! I'm not really a forensic expert or anything! I can tell though that he or she's been dead a long time, obviously since they are a skeleton, and judging by the smell… _ugh_... they seem to be still rotting! But… that makes no sense! The footsteps leading to it were fairly recent! If they've been dead a long time, then- wait! What the hell?!"

" _What is it, Frisk?!_ " Flowey asked. " _They're not standing up or anything, right?!_ "

"There's… something weird about the eyes!" Frisk stated. "Or eye sockets rather! Don't know why I didn't notice it until now, but it's like they are… closed!"

" _Closed?!_ "

"Yeah, it's kind of hard to explain!" Frisk said. "I'm gonna take a better look!"

She crept closer to the body, trying to get a better understanding of this strange thing. As she did, she noticed another strange thing about the body. It was like it was moving up and down similar to a person breathing in their sleep. Frisk ignored it, assuming it was simply the soft wind.

Then she came closer and could finally see clearly what the things on the eye sockets were like. They seemed to resemble something eerily familiar.

"Hang on," Frisk said to herself. "Are these… eyelids-"

On exactly the moment before she could finish her sentence, something happened. It took Frisk a few moments process what exactly what was happening, and even then she wasn't sure what it was.

First, the skeleton suddenly began rumbling. Then there came a loud, yet strange noise from deep within it, sounding incredible like groaning. It was enough to make Frisk freeze in her steps. This strange movement of the body made it seem like it was a living being, and the human girl stared at the entire event in confusion and fear. Then, just as abruptly as it began, the body seized all movements and became almost still again.

"The shit was that!" Fris said.

Then the skeleton opened its "eyelids".

"Gah!" Frisk cried in surprise.

The shock hit her like a truck, so much so that she lost her balance and fell back first onto a thick pile of snow. The flower in her backpack took immediate notice of it since the fall nearly crushed him.

" _What the heck Frisk?!_ " he yelled. " _Are you trying to kill me back there?! Frisk?! Frisk?_ "

Frisk didn't even notice the flowers whines and complains, as she stared at the skeleton. It was beginning to stand up.

"What the fuck!" Frisk yelled. "WHAT THE FUCK!"

" _Frisk?! What the hecks happening-_ "

And without hesitation, she began to run. She waded clumsily through the piles of snow as best and as quickly as she could. The weight of the snow was immense, much more than any snow or winter Frisk had ever experienced, and it caused her to occasionally stumble, but she always managed to push herself back on her feet.

" _Frisk, what's going on-_ "

"The thing's alive!" Frisk said immediately. "The thing is fucking alive!"

Just before she reached the road, she turned her head around just to peek and saw the skeleton standing upwards, with snow falling off and out of it. It stared at her with pitch black eye sockets that looked like they had no bottom.

Then before she could turn around, Frisk found herself falling. She whined again as she felt herself fall onto solid snow.

"Gah, fuck," the winced.

Frisk looked up and saw that she was back on the road. Then without even thinking about it, she stood up and began to run towards the fence. The wooden fence grew taller and taller ahead, and Frisk now saw that there was a gate where the road led. Whether it was open or not, Frisk didn't care at the moment. She was just gonna smash through it if possible.

As she closed in on the fence, she glanced behind and saw the living skeleton in the distance just about reaching the road, and it looked at her. To Frisk, there was no doubt about it now. It was after her.

Frisk turned back to face the road and saw that the gate was just a few steps away, and at that moment, she braced and positioned herself to burst through. But even with all the strength she had managed to muster at the last moment, the fence proved stronger, causing her to just hurt herself as she clumsily smashed into the wood it like it was a solid, stone wall.

"Oh, fuck!" she winced.

In her panic state, the next thing she did was to try to pull or push the fence gate open. It was locked, as she suspected, and so it proved useless. Frisk backed away a bit, panicking to find a way through like when she was trapped by the hole in the ruins.

"Shit, shit, shit!" she said. "Maybe, I could uh, climb up. Yeah, that'll work. Let's try that-"

Frisk froze completely in her tracks after she had backed a bit and felt her backpack bump into something behind her. The air was also suddenly filled with the same, disgusting odour of the skeletal corpse.

 _Oh my fucking god, the thing is right behind me_ , she thought. _How the hell is it behind me? I was like half a mile away._

She heard heavy breathing behind her, so there was now no doubt it was a living thing.

"Buddy…" said a calming male voice.

 _Holy shit, it talks_ , Frisk thought. _How the fuck does it talk?_

There came a short chuckle from the male voice behind her.

"Is that how you greet a new friend?" it asked. "Why won't you turn around and shake my hand?"

Frisk stared at the gate, not daring to look behind her. She didn't know what to do, what the thing behind her was, or even what it wanted. All she knew was that she was trapped between a gate and a weird, inhuman thing. There was only one way out of this, she thought.

She slowly pulled the knife from her pocket.

"Buddy?" the skeleton asked.

Frisk took a deep breath, put on a confident face, and turned herself around in a complete half-circle. As she suspected, the skeleton of the small figure was standing right there behind her, wearing the same clothes and the emptiness in the eyes seemed to have a slight, white glint in them like a distant star. Somehow, despite having no muscles, he managed to have a somewhat surprised expression on the skull.

"Get back!" Frisk commanded, pointing the knife down at him.

"Woah, Woah, Woah," the skeleton said with his arms in the air.

"Get the FUCK back!"

"Geez kiddo, you speak to your mother with a tongue like that?" the skeleton said casually.

The grin on its dead face now seemed unusually wide for a skeleton. Frisk didn't care much for it. She just stood there, pointing her knife down at him with both hands.

 _How the hell is this thing even alive?_ Frisk thought.

"Just what the hell are you and what do you want?!" she asked.

"Well if you'll just put your knife away and calm down then I'll explain it to you ok?" the skeleton answered with the same, casual tone. "I mean, I know you're scared but if you think that's bad then geez, look at me. You made me _literally jump out of my skin_."

At that moment, Frisk fear began to wane, and be replaced mostly by utter bewilderment.

"Wh-what…?" she asked. "Wha-what are you talking about?"

The skeleton put his arms down, and his face shifted into an expression that said: " _Really?_ ".

"It was a joke, kiddo," he said. "Y'know, because I am a skeleton? I have no skin and… eh, it kind of ruins it when you have to explain. It wasn't that good either, to be honest. It needed a bit more of a… more of a _backbone into it eh?_ "

Frisk didn't laugh. Just looked at him unamused with her knife still pointed at him.

 _Why the hell is he just making terrible jokes_ , she thought.

" _Ok, just what in the angel's name is going on out there, and who are you talking to?!_ " Flowey yelled from the bag. " _Screw it! I'm coming out!_ "

Frisk heard the sound of zippers being open in her bag, and Flowey peeked out, shivering slightly.

"Now just who the heck are… are… you?"

Something made Flowey stop in his words, and that something was the skeleton in front of them. It wasn't fear that filled up in him, but rather confusion, and he stared at the skeleton like he was trying to figure out what in the world it was. Similarly, the short skeleton seemed to have taken a similar interest in Flowey.

"Frisk, who is that?" Flowey asked.

"How would I know?" she asked without moving her eyes from the living corpse.

"Hey you look familiar," the skeleton said, eyeing the flower. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before? Like, at a bar or something?"

Frisk didn't see it, but at that moment, Flowey's eyes lit up like a Christmas ornament as a memory struck him. But as soon as it faded, his expression turned into one of disappointment and annoyance.

"Crap, it's you," he said.

"Oh yeah," the skeleton said with the same tone of remembrance. "You're the talking flower that harassed my brother all those years ago. I had almost completely forgotten you."

"Same here," Flowey said bitterly as if he wished he had done that.

"Uh, Flowey?" Frisk began, who felt completely out of the loop. "You uh, know this guy."

"Yeah, that's just Sans," Flowey said. "The local comedian. Or as I like to call him, _Mister Smiley Trashbag_."

"Heh, nice to see you too," replied Sans with a tone that said: " _Is that the best insult you got?_ ".

Flowey sighed.

"It's alright Frisk, you can put your knife down," he said. "This guy is a pain, but he won't hurt you. Not his style."

"Well, at least you have some sense."

With that said Frisk reluctantly put the red knife back in her pocket. Even though Flowey assured her he wasn't dangerous, she couldn't find herself to completely trust him.

"Now that's better," the skeleton said, his expression not changing in the slightest.

"What do you want?" Frisk asked without hesitation.

"Oh nothing," Sans replied. "Nothing at all. Or at least, nothing from you at least. In fact, I would like perhaps a nice bed, a good tv, and perhaps some snacks if I can."

"Right…"

Since so many weird things had happened to her in just a span of a day, Frisk didn't bother thinking about why a skeleton wanted snacks in the first place.

"Hey, you're a human aren't you?" he suddenly asked.

As soon as he asked that, all of Frisk's suspicions and distrust came boiling back up.

"Now how do you know that?" Flowey asked. "I thought most monsters had forgotten what a human really looks like."

The skeleton shrugged.

"I've read a book or two," he answered. "Or rather, just looked at some pictures from a book or two about humans. Besides, not many monsters come down this road. Not after The Royal Hunt put up this fence here at least."

Frisk backed away a few steps from him and began to slowly back for her knife.

"Woah, Woah, kiddo," Sans said immediately. "You think I am gonna hurt you just because I know you are human? Geez. I've only known you for a few minutes and already you think so little of me."

Frisk stood still, with her palm stretching for the handle. She turned her head towards Flowey to see what he thought.

"Don't," he stated. "He's not gonna hurt you. He has no interest in hurting humans in fact, and even though I'd like to see you stab him in his smug face, making an enemy of him and his family is not worth it. Trust me."

 _His family_? Frisk thought nervously.

Even though she was still a bit uneasy by the skeleton, she decided to take the flowers word again and put her hand away from the knife.

"Hey, looks like I underestimated _you_ , flower" the skeleton said in a gleeful tone. "Looks like you have actually more sense in you than I thought. _Twice_ as many in fact."

Then using one of his weird, bony eyelids, Sans blinked, and Frisk thought that slightly disturbing.

"Making it two senses," he continued.

Flowey sighed as if he expected a joke of this calibre. Frisk, on the other hand, felt a bit confused, until she noticed the punchline and chuckled a bit. She felt it was perhaps the most she had chuckled or even laughed in a while.

"Woah is that a smile I see?" Sans asked sarcastically. "Good job kiddo. Continue this up and you might learn to laugh a bit."

"Ok, now you're just being an asshole," Frisk said bluntly.

Sans became stared at her quietly for a while as if he was thinking something and then he gave a simple shrug.

"Yeah didn't think this joke through," he said. "Sorry about that. Would promise to not make such jokes again but eh, never been good with promises."

"Nah it's ok," Frisk said. "I was kind of joking too. I've… never been good with jokes."

"Frisk, can we get the hell out of here now?" Flowey asked impatiently. "Please?"

"Right," Frisk said. "So it was nice to meet you and all, but uh we kind of wanna continue on our own right now."

"Really, but we just met," Sans said.

"Alright, mister-"

"I was just joking kiddo," Sans said, interrupting her. "I'll just go back to my spot. You seem to be sure that you can handle this on your own so... See you around kiddo."

"Yeah, see you too."

With that said, the skeleton turned around and began to walk away. After he had gone far enough, Frisk turned back to Flowey.

"You don't like this guy eh?" she asked him.

"Are you surprised?" Flowey replied. "Tell me you didn't feel one bit annoyed by him?"

"Nah, he seems alright," Frisk said.

"Really?" Flowey asked in surprise. "Not even after he made fun of you? Well, let's agree to disagree then."

"Hey, you said something about his family earlier," Frisk began, changing the subject a bit. "About how it was not a good idea to make an enemy of them. Why, is he like a… mobster or something?"

"Nah, he's nothing like that," Flowey said. "It's just that… ah, it's a long story. I'll tell you later."

"Alright then."

Frisk turned around to face the tall wooden gate. Up close, the tallness of it looked a bit intimidating. She tried the knob but as she suspected, it was shut tight.

"You don't uh, have a chance to know of any ways through this gate thingy right Flowey?" she asked.

"Don't ask me," he said. "I'm about as stumped as you."

"Great."

"I may not know of any proper ways," Sans said behind them. "But I do have an idea."

Frisk turned back around once more, feeling utter shock and surprise.

"Jesus, I thought you were gone!" she said.

"Are you just gonna keep sneaking in on people like that?!" Flowey said.

"Well I decided to come back here to watch your progress a bit," Sans said casually.

 _Well, that sounds a bit stalker-ish_ , Frisk thought.

"Looks like you need some help," the skeleton added.

Frisk didn't think much through his sudden appearance since he pulled a stunt like that earlier. She just assumed it was something he was just able to do. Either way, she felt a bit desperate for any ideas at this point, so she decided to bite.

"Alright then," Frisk said. "What do you have in mind? With getting through this gate I mean."

The skeleton grinned seemed to widen a bit.

"Watch," he said simply.

He walked towards Frisk and reached up towards her shoulders with one of his bony hands and Frisk felt him eerily resemble a little kid looking up to an older guardian.

"Now hold still," the skeleton said. "Or you might get sick."

"Wait what are y-"

It was as if time itself had blinked at that moment, for Frisk found herself suddenly facing the gate, even though she not only had her back to it just a second ago but also she didn't move one bit. Or that was what she thought she was looking at first. It took her a while to notice it though since much of the trees and areas looked so similar, but then she looked around in bewilderment and realized she was actually now standing on the other side of the gate.

"Wha-what just happened?" Frisk asked in confusion.

She heard Flowey cough immensely behind her.

"Gah, please warn me before you do that again!" he said angrily.

"Wait, did you just teleport us?" Frisk asked.

"Nah that wasn't a teleport," Sans answered. "I just… squeezed ourselves through the fence super fast."

"Really?" Frisk asked.

"Of course not," replied the skeleton. "It was teleport obviously."

Frisk looked at him with a puzzled look.

 _I think I'm never gonna get this guy_ , she thought.

"Thanks," Frisk said. "But why?"

"Well, it's a lot better and faster than climbing over ain't it?" replied Sans.

"I meant why did you help us?"

The skeleton shrugged.

"Why not?" he answered. "You were in need and I helped you. Think of it as a charity."

Frisk didn't really buy his words, and she was sure Flowey didn't either. She felt like he had some other, hidden agenda. But he helped them either way so she didn't really care much about his true motives at the moment.

"Ok then," Frisk said. "Well, either way, thanks for your help. Sans wasn't it?"

"Yep that's me," he answered. "Sans the skeleton.

"Well, Sans, I think we'll be going now," Frisk said. "Oh and I forgot to mention earlier but sorry about that whole… knife thing."

"Eh that's fine kiddo," Sans said, "Already made up."

"Ok, thanks for that," Frisk said. "Now as I said, I'll guess I'll see you around."

"You too, kiddo," the skeleton replied and made another wink. "Even though you're a human, I'll promise to keep an eye socket out for any dangers coming your way. But like I said before, I'm not good with promises."

"Alright then," Frisk said softly.

With that said, she turned towards the road and continued down the path, and Flowey gave a sigh of relief. But it was only after taking a few steps that the skeleton suddenly called after her.

"Hey kiddo," he said.

Frisk turned back around and could hear the flower give a subtle, but clearly frustrated sigh.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you could maybe do something for me," he began. "Since, y' know, I helped you after all. Now it is not much. Like you don't have to carry any boxes for me or anything. In fact, you don't really need to do anything when you get down to it."

Frisk felt like she had expected something like this and gave out a short sigh.

 _Of course he wants some payment in return for helping,_ she thought. _Thought as much. Well, let's see what it is at least_.

"Ok, what do you want?" she asked.

"Just getting right to it eh?" Sans began. "Very well, so here is the thing. My brother, Papyrus, has been feeling very down lately. He's been feeling down for a long time actually. Like years. But it has gotten worse these past few months. Ever since I took and hid away all his… uh… stuff that he used. Mostly because he became addicted to it and so kept spending all our monthly allowance on it, and once I gave him the talk, he just kept buying and using it in secret."

He gave out a short sigh as if to say: " _how far you have fallen_ ".

"But my brother has never seen a human before," he continued. "He also makes no secret that he really wants to. Many monsters do in fact, but especially him. So I was wondering if maybe before you continue on your quest, you could perhaps stay a bit while I give a call and then my brother comes running over to say hi."

"So in other words, you want me to just hang around here for a while?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah, something like that," answered Sans.

Frisk thought about it for a few seconds. This felt a bit suspicious, but Flowey had been very adamant so far about him being unharmful, despite his clear annoyance at him. Then she shrugged and said:

"Sure I can do that."

Suddenly, Flowey began to stir immensely in her backpack. It was perhaps the most stirring he had ever done so far.

"Uhhh, Frisk?" Flowey said awkwardly. "I think I just um, remembered something. Y' know what? Just ignore everything I just said about him, I take it all back. That skeleton is actually super dangerous and untrustworthy. Oh, and he's also one of the most powerful beings down here, so I suggest that if we simply run away right now, we'll-"

"You're a shit liar you know," Frisk said, looking straight at his face.

Flowey stopped in his words and looked at the girl with an expression that was half frown, half disappointment.

"Was it that obvious?" he asked.

"I mean… yeah," Frisk replied. "You went on and on about how harmless this dude is while also being less than subtle on your annoyance, and now that he's offering to hang out with him a bit you suddenly began to contradict everything-"

"Yeah, I know what happened these last few minutes, I don't need a recap," Flowey said bitterly.

"Ok look, I kinda wanna do this," Frisk said. "I'm just really curious about this world and people, and if it makes up someones say in the meantime then what's the catch?"

"I just want to… get out of here as fast as we can, alright?" Flowey said.

"C' mon, it'll just take a moment!" Frisk said. "Can't we just do this one nice thing? Please? I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

Flowey didn't answer. Just looked away from her with a full frown on his face like an upset child.

"If you can't bear it so much then why don't you go back in the bag for that moment?" Frisk asked.

Suddenly, a realization dawned on her.

"Hang on," she began. "You've been out of the bag for a while now. I thought you couldn't stand the cold."

Flowey's frowned turned into an expression of worry. Worry of that of feeling caught in a lie.

"I… uhh…" he began.

"Wait, were you actually… scared?" Frisk asked.

She smiled as that thought came to her. That smile then turned into a chuckle, which then turned into a small laugh. It was not a laugh of mock or amusement, although she felt some of it, but rather a laugh of surprise, although the flower clearly didn't take it that way.

"Hey, that's not funny!" Flowey said angrily. "Stop laughing!"

"I wasn't laughing at you," Frisk said smiling.

"Hey if you two wanna sort some things out between you two then we can just do this thing later ok?" said Sans, who was still standing there.

Frisk looked back at the skeleton and Flowey followed suit. In her bickering with the flower, she had almost completely forgotten him."

"Oh uh, yeah we are totally ready to do this thing," Frisk said. "Right Flowey?"

"Ugh, yeah," he said begrudgingly.

"Ok good," the skeleton said.

The skeleton then reached into his jacket and pulled out an old looking smartphone.

 _Wow, that phone looks ancient_ , Frisk thought. _Not as old as the one that the old man had, but still. Is everything down here just over a hundred years old or something?_

Sans then began to type in some numbers with his bony fingers and Frisk wondered how he could use a touchscreen without fingerprints since that was always how she assumed those phones worked.

Then he put the phone up to his ear, or rather where his ear would be located, and began to speak softly into it.

"Hey Pappy, it's me," Frisk heard him say. "Oh did I wake you? Sorry. The time zones here are weird…"

"I still think this is a dumb idea," whispered Flowey.

"Yeah yeah," Frisk whispered back.

"...hey so I got something for you," Sans continued in the phone. "It's a little surprise, something I'm sure will brighten up your day. What? No, it's not a herb or anything of the sort. But it is something alright. Heh, it is something. Oh, I'm at the gate, in the forest. Set up by… you know who…"

"Gods he is still talking," Flowey whispered.

"Yeah, no shit," Frisk whispered back.

"...so are you coming? Really? Oh, that's good to hear. Good that you've finally decided to leave your closet for a bit eh? Yeah, I know you're not literally in a closet. Yeah, I know that we sold it a while back. Anyways, it's good that you're making progress either way and I look forward to showing you the surprise. Uh-huh. Aha. I know. I love you too bro. Goodbye."

At long last, the skeleton turned off his phone and put it back in his jacket.

"Good news," he said. "My bro says he's up to it and is heading his way here right now."

"Yeah we figured that much," Frisk said.

"Good."

And so the trio turned quiet as they waited. For a while. Frisk and the skeleton just stood there in the exact same spot as if they were rooted in them. In this silence between them, the only sound Frisk heard was a soft gush of wind and her occasional exasperated breaths.

The skeleton, on the other hand, seemed unnaturally quiet and still, and would've been easily mistaken for a standing corpse that was held up by invisible strings.

"How long is this gonna take?" Frisk asked, beginning to feel impatient.

"Don't worry, he's fast," Sans stated. "Very fast indeed."

"Alright then."

A few moments passed, and the silence returned. Still, they waited. Flowey was now shaking immensely, either due to fear, cold or both, and so he wordlessly let himself sink back into the backpack. Frisk then heard the zipper of the backpack run closed.

"He's probably gonna be a while," Sans said, breaking the silence. "Must be out of shape or something."

Frisk tapped her foot on the snow and shivered as the cold was finally getting to her. Her current clothing was clearly not made for winter.

"I have a place not far from here," the skeleton said. "It's not really a house or anything. More of a… campsite than anything. Used to work there for a stand before it went out of business. Should we wait there perhaps? I'm sure the fireplace still works."

"Did you just say a fireplace?" Frisk asked. "If you did then I'm definitely sold."

* * *

Author's note:

So here is the first part of the second chapter. The forest chapter as I call it because it... takes place in a forest. Yeah not the most original title, but hey neither is "The Ruins". It'll be the shortest chapter so far, or at least the one with the fewest parts.

As for the part, it's self? I think this is perhaps the most humerus (heh) part I have written so far. I thought it was fitting because we are finally introduced to Sans Undertale himself. Took a while for him to show up in this AU (unless you've read the prequel story where he is one of the two POV characters).

Here comes the bad news though. After the next part or the one after, I will, once again, be taking a short break. I don't know how long it'll be, but I'll try to be done with not only the chapter till then, but also the upcoming "reboot" of the politics bear story. That one won't not a big story mind you, or even that long. It's just an idea I thought of and wanted to explore.

But until then, hope you enjoy the story and more is coming soon.


	12. The Forest Part 2

**The Forest Part 2**

The campsite didn't prove to be much of a campsite in the end. Frisk assumed that it was perhaps much better in its heyday, but now there were only two wooden houses, one which was so torn down, with no roof and had so many holes in the walls and floor that it could perhaps no longer be considered a house by definition. In one place, there was a pile of planks with some of them standing upright in the snow, and Frisk could only surmise that this was once a shack that used to keep tools and such.

As for the fireplace itself, whatever wood was left in it was either dry or completely covered in snow, but Frisk managed to light a little flame from it based on her minuscule memory of her time at summer camp. It was very little, and not very warm, but Frisk was content with whatever she could get at this point.

She sat on a small boulder in front of the fireplace, while Sans sat opposite her on a bench so small it obviously made for kids, but since he was so short he fitted almost perfectly.

"Yeah it's not much," Frisk said, staring at the fire. "But it's the best I got."

"Eh it's fine," Sans said. "Us skeletons aren't really bothered by heat or cold anyways since we don't have any skin that is."

"Well that makes sense," Frisk said.

She turned to Flowey, who sat in the pink backpack which was now placed down beside her.

"What do you think Flowey?" she asked him. "Is this fire good enough for you?"

"Define good enough," the flower said. "Because if to you it means sitting by the most minuscule amount of heat possible while sitting opposite the most annoying creature in the underground, then yeah maybe."

"Looks like someone has a cold shoulder," Sans said.

Frisk snickered a bit while Flowey just rolled his eyes. She didn't really find the joke funny or even that clever, but rather it was the delivery and cheapness of it that she couldn't help but feel slightly amused.

"Well, at least there is someone around to laugh at my hilarious jokes," Sans said.

"Yeah," Frisk said. "So anyway, uhh what's your brother like?"

"Slightly better," Flowey said.

"Well I might be biased, but I think he's cool," Sans answered, not giving Flowey any heed. "He's also kind-hearted with an… well, let's say an average sense of humour. Also kind of an introvert these days and he doesn't really get out of the house anymore much unless it's something important. If I had to describe him in word, it would perhaps be 'chill'. No pun intended."

"Well thanks for that disclaimer," Flowey said. "Can never tell with you."

Sans smiled a cocky smile.

"Hard to believe it," he continued. "But he used to be much more social and crafty just a few years ago. My brother that is. He even made his own armour. Said it was for a costume party he was suddenly reminded of, which was strange since there was no such party being held anywhere near us, and we were especially not invited to any such party or even any party in general. Once I asked him about it, he later claimed that he had actually dreamt it. But since he was clearly having fun making it, I didn't think it necessary to stop him. Nowadays, this armour is basically just gathering dust in his basement, alongside a bunch of his other things."

"So what happened?" Frisk asked.

Sans took on a dark expression as if an awful memory resurfaced. Even though she had no idea what it was, Frisk knew that look very well.

"Sorry," she said. "You don't have to tell me."

"Yeah, let's talk about something else now ok?" Sans said.

"Either way, I can't wait to meet him."

"Good. I can promise you won't be disappointed."

Frisk looked around the campsite, not really taking any of it in as she was thinking about all that had happened in just the past day. It was still hard for her to believe that all this was really happening. After a moment of pondering, Frisk was suddenly reminded of a question she wanted to ask the skeleton ever since he first spoke to her.

"Hey if you don't mind me asking," she began. "But um… how did you die?"

Sans, who was looking away prior to the question went and stared straight at her in a way as if she suddenly grew four arms.

"Uhh what?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Oh forget about it," Frisk said. "Shouldn't have asked. I'm sure it's a sensitive topic for you."

"Uhh, it's more weird than sensitive," Sans began. "Because unless this is some boring afterlife, I'm pretty sure I'm alive. I think. To be honest, I haven't checked in a while. But seriously though, do I really look like a dead person to you?"

Frisk chuckled a bit, then stopped once she realized that he wasn't being sarcastic.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "You don't know."

"Know what?" Sans asked with no hint of jest in his voice.

He turned towards Flowey, who was smiling in amusement. For the first time in a long, long time, Sans felt himself to be utterly baffled by someone.

"Pothead, you know anything about what's she's on about?" he asked him.

"Yeah I do," Flowey said. "But I ain't telling 'cause this is hilarious.

"I… don't know how to break this to you," Frisk began with sorrow in her tone. "But… you being nothing but a skeleton is uhh, it's not normal."

"Sounds pretty normal to me," Sans said.

Now Frisk was the one who felt confused.

"This isn't strange to you?" she asked him. "You have no skin, no organs. You are practically a walking corpse, and where I'm from, that means dead."

"Ah, I see," Sans said with a tone of realization. "Look kiddo, I think you are the one who is misunderstanding this situation."

"What are you talking about?"

"You see I've always been a skeleton."

"What?!"

"Since birth."

Frisk stared at him for a good few moments. A moment later she chuckled. But she stopped once she saw he wasn't joking about this either.

"Wait, are you… saying that you died at birth or something?" Frisk asked.

"No, I was born a skeleton," Sans said. "Me and my brother. We were both born as skeletons. In fact, our mother was a skeleton as well. As is our dad. And our granddads and grandmothers"

Frisk looked at him, now feeling utterly baffled. She didn't know whether he was serious and confused, or if it was some sort of an elaborate joke on his part. It was like he was a walking enigma.

"What?" she said. "Wha- what are you-"

"I'm a _monster,_ kiddo," Sans said. " _A skeleton monster_. Not a literal skeleton."

Frisk stared at him, slightly more confused than ever before. Then the realization hit her like a boulder, and she felt like a complete idiot.

"Oh!" she said loudly. "Oh! Oh god, I am so sorry for that I… Jesus Christ I am such an idiot!"

"Nah it's fine," Sans said and chuckled. "It's fine. You didn't know any better but now you do. That's what dad always used to say to me."

Suddenly, Frisk heard something sort of unexpected. Not only that, but Sans was seemed somewhat surprised by it as well. The sound came from Flowey. He was laughing.

"You knew about this?" Frisk asked him.

"Of course I did!" he said admits smiles and laughter. "But gods. Seeing you make a fool of yourself was so worth it!"

"Ok, we are now even from me laughing at you back there," Frisk said.

"Eh, fat chance," Flowey said and smiled.

Frisk turned back towards Sans, and she felt like there were now plenty of more questions on her mind.

"Wait so if your entire species, or monster type or whatever, is like you then how do you work?" Frisk asked him. "Like why do you resemble human skeletons so much?"

"Ehh, not about that myself actually?" Sans said. "Then again, I don't expect you to know everything about how humans work just because you are one yourself."

"Oh, that's a good point," Frisk said. "But you have to know something. Like, how the hell does your kind reproduce if you don't have any organs and such."

"Heh, you're not the first person to ponder that," Sans answered. "Many people believe that it's some sort of complicated ritual or magic. But actually, the answer is surprisingly simple. You see, when a skeleton-"

At that moment, there came a weird sound from Sans' pocket that barely lasted a second. It sounded strangely enough like a 'ding' noise a microwave makes.

"Oh, that's my phone," Sans said. "Must be Papyrus. Funny, I was starting to wonder why he was taking so long."

With that said, Sans reached into his pocket and pulled out a plain, old school looking black flip phone and looked at the screen. He stared at it for a few good moments, and then the expression on his skull seemed to frown in subtle displeasure.

"Well that's a shame," he said, sounding mildly disappointed.

"What is it?" Frisk asked.

"It looks like he's not coming after all," Sans said and put the phone back into his pocket. "Claims he's not feeling up to it anymore."

"Oh, ok," Frisk said, feeling a bit let down as well. "That's too bad. Kind of was excited to meet him."

"Yeah," Sans said. "But eh. Anything can happen, that's life. If my brother is not in the mood then I don't wanna force him."

He looked at Frisk as if an idea suddenly popped up in his head.

"Of course," he began and his grin widened. "I could always shortcut you straight to my place and surprise him there."

Frisk felt a sudden surge of suspicion in her chest after he said that.

"Uhh, thanks but I think we're good," she said, feeling a bit uneasy.

Sans looked at her, a bit surprised by her answer, but then he shrugged.

"Well whatever you say," he said. "Now, back onto my daily schedule. Where was I? Oh right."

With that said, Sans stood up from the bench, stretched his arms a bit only to then let his entire body fall back on the bench, his front now facing the air. Then he put his skeletal hands on the back of his skull and closed his eye sockets.

"Uhh, what are you doing?" Frisk asked.

"What does it look like?" Sans asked sarcastically, his eye sockets still 'closed'. "I'm resting."

"Ok then…" Frisk said, feeling a bit weirded out.

She stared at his resting skeleton. If she didn't know any better, Frisk would've assumed he was a very old corpse.

"Umm, what am I supposed to do now?" she asked him.

"Dunno," Sans answered. "Go to sleep, take a walk. Do whatever you want I suppose."

With that said, Frisk stood up from her seat and looked around the empty campsite, trying to think of anything to say or do. She felt like there was one thing she wanted to ask him, but she couldn't quite place it. After a while of pondering, Frisk came out blank. Whatever it was, she thought it was perhaps not that important.

"Well I'll guess we'll be going then," she said.

"Or you can do that too," Sans said. "I would tell you to be careful but, to be honest, you came here at a pretty good time. _The Royal Hunt_ isn't doing any patrols in the area this week so you can be as suspicious as you can for the moment. But of course, if you're heading deeper into the kingdom, it might be smart for you to be a little bit careful in the least."

"The Royal Hunt?" Frisk asked.

She couldn't tell why, but that name filled her a bit of unease.

"Oh right, you're new here," Sans said. "Well, in short, it's a group filled with a bunch of knights, mercenaries, warriors, you name it, who's job is hunting down humans for the king. Or what's left of him anyway."

"The king?" Frisk asked curiously.

Sans became strangely silent for a moment.

"You are very curious aren't you," Sans said. "Well sorry kiddo, but I while I would really like to stay here and chat awhile, I am kind of busy at the moment."

"What, napping?" Frisk asked.

"Yes," the skeleton answered. "But those questions you have? I'm sure you'll figure them all out down the road, trust me."

Frisk sighed a bit. She really wanted to know more, but she didn't want to bother annoying him too much either.

"If you say so," Frisk said, sounding unsatisfied.

She looked around the campsite once more, almost as if she was expecting it to change.

"Well thanks for the company," Frisk said. "And uh, I guess we'll see you around."

"You betcha," Sans said, eye sockets still closed. "I'm almost certain we will."

" _We better not,_ " Flowey muttered inside the backpack

Frisk paid no heed to what he said and headed down the road. Suddenly, the forest now felt much livelier despite nothing about it having changed. Once Frisk was gone a decent length from the camp, Flowey peeked his head out from the backpack once more

"Well that was a complete waste of time," he said.

"Yeah, yeah," Frisk replied.

The forest grew a bit thicker the further they went in and after a while, Frisk had sort of grown used to the atmosphere. There was still barely any sound, although small breezes could sometimes be heard.

This was perhaps the most wintery place Frisk had been through, she thought. She only wished winters were more like this on the surface. Nowadays days that is. Nowadays, you could barely see any snow, even in the winter. She was sure it was common in the past, and that the people back then must've taken it for granted. Frisk felt a bit envious of the people back then.

"Y' know, I'm kinda surprised you didn't take his offer back there," Flowey said after a while. "To teleport I mean. Could've skipped this whole walking business."

"Yeah, about that," Frisk began. "He was nice and all but… I don't think I really trust that guy one-hundred-per cent."

"Really?" Flowey asked seriously. "Even though I told you like a million times he was harmless and the one time I didn't you immediately saw through my lies?"

"Aren't you the one with the memory loss?" Frisk asked back.

Flowey shrugged.

"Good point," he said. "Still, it was a bit paranoid of you don't ya think?"

"Maybe, but still, I just felt like he was hiding something," Frisk admitted. "Hey, speaking of paranoia why didn't you just tell me you were scared back there?"

Flowey sighed.

"You wanna find more ways to laugh more at my misery is that it?" he said.

"What? Oh no, no, no, no," Frisk said, almost panicky. "That was… God, I'm so sorry for laughing at you back there. It was just… so unexpected from you I couldn't help it."

"What it's unexpected that I have feelings?" Flowey asked sarcastically.

"No, I didn't mean that," Frisk said. "I just… sorry."

"Apologies accepted," Flowey said. "But if you really want to know, then here is the gist of it. The reason I was scared was that… the place made me… _gods how do I explain it_ … there was something about this forest that just didn't sit right with me. Like, I felt like there was something I was missing about it."

"Like a bad memory?" Frisk asked.

"I think so," Flowey said. "Yeah, I think that's it. There was something I was forgetting. Something, or someone, that we might need to keep out for."

"Could… could it be The Royal Hunt?" Frisk asked worryingly.

"Maybe," Flowey said. "Or it could be something to do with that Mickey fella the old hermit mentioned."

"Oh shit!" Frisk exclaimed and stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" Flowey asked with a slight hint of concern.

"I had almost completely forgotten about that," Frisk said. "How the fuck did I forget that?!"

"Yeah, how in the… _F_ did you forget about that?" Flowey asked.

"I don't know," Frisk said. "Maybe it's because so much shit has happened in just these past few hours, or maybe I've caught some of your memory loss or something."

"Yeah, I don't know the extent of it so… maybe?"

"God," Frisk said, feeling slightly exasperated. "I could've asked that skeleton guy back there whether he recognized that name or not."

"Holy shi-, I mean holy angel, you're right," Flowey said with a tone of great realization. "Wow. Why didn't I think of that either? Oh right, too busy not liking him. I guess. So what? Are you gonna, turn around and go back to him?"

"He's probably long gone by now," Frisk said.

She sighed and stood still for a moment. After a short pause, she turned around and continued walking down the road.

"It's fine," she said. "I'm sure we'll encounter someone else down the road and then we can just ask them. Who knows? Maybe this Mickey is a popular guy or something."

"Yeah let's hope," Flowey said.

Frisk had only walked a few feet further before Flowey thought of an idea.

"Hey, if you really wanted to," he began. "You could always just stab yourself right now and we have another chance to ask the skeleton about it."

Frisk turned thoughtful for a bit as she pondered it. A few moments later, she came to a decision and shook her head.

"Nah," she said. "I don't really know how far back we go. We could go to just a few seconds ago, or we go could all the way back to the ruins. Besides, even if death is not permanent, it still hurts like a son of a bitch.."

"Oh, I agree," Flowey agree. "I agree with that very much."

* * *

Author's note:

So I think I have discovered 3 reasons for why I have such unfrequent uploads.

1\. I have a shit ton of games to play, and they always keep me from doing my "job".

2\. I am not really in the greatest mood these days so that might have some effect on it.

3\. I am lazy as fuck.

Anyway, I know it's been like... god, how long has it been exactly? 2 months? I know I can just check, but I'm sure that will just make me feel worse. But whatever's the case, I don't think it really matters right now because guess what? I have finally gotten a new chapter out. I am sure this is great news for like my, 6 remaining readers or whatever. But it's here, finally, I am gonna keep going because I have a shit ton of ideas for this AU and I don't want them all to go to waste.

Either way, for now just enjoy the currently available chapters, and more will come soon. I promise. I am already halfway through the next part. I think.


	13. The Forest Part 3

The Forest Part 3

Deep in the snow-covered woods, the air was silent and still while the cold breeze dwindled into a cool chill. Frisk, carrying Flowey, had been walking for just over half an hour since their meeting with the quirky yet suspicious skeleton, and during that entire time the duo didn't speak much, as the flower spent most of the time hiding in the backpack while Frisk focused more on the path ahead, just as Flowey had commanded her to. She had obviously many questions to ask, but for now, she didn't want to be too much of a bother for him.

After a while, Frisk began to have a growing worry that she was starting to get lost, even though Flowey had told her just a short while ago to "just keep following the road". Still, she felt uneasy. Not to mention, her legs were beginning to tire. She was not used to walking for such a long time, especially not through hard snow while wearing only a single shoe that was clearly not made for winter, with her having lost the other one after she threw it at the old monster in the ruins. That foot was now wearing nothing but a soggy sock, and every other step was painful as she felt dozens of rocks or twigs pierce through it. To make matters even worse, Frisk hadn't gotten a good rest in a while, not counting that time in the ruins where her sleep was interrupted by a terrifying nightmare, and all she wanted to do now was let herself fall on the side of the road and sleep.

Thankfully, her wish for rest seemed to have been granted a while later when she came across a large tree log that had fallen on the side of the road.

Thank god, she thought.

It was thankfully not too small for her to sit on, or too wide and tall so that she couldn't reach it. The log looked so perfect that Frisk felt suspicious for a moment as if it was placed there specifically for her.

But in her tired stupor, she didn't think to care much, and so she sat on top of it and immediately felt dozens of splinters through her jeans, and noticed thus it was perhaps not so perfect altogether, and so her suspicions began to dwindle. Then she loosened the bag, still holding Flowey, and placed it on the ground by her dangling feet, and positioned it so that it lay against the log.

"Why are we stopping?" Flowey asked and peeked out of the bag.

"No real reason," Frisk answered and shrugged. "Just wanted to take a short rest. It's not like we are in a hurry or anything right? Plus, my legs are starting to ache."

"Do you also want it to be my turn to carry you from now on, eh?" Flowey asked sarcastically.

"Oh please, it's only a short pause," Frisk replied.

"Well I'm just more worried about something sneaking upon us from these woods," Flowey admitted.

"Eh, we don't need to worry about that much," Frisk replied. "Thankfully I just discovered that I am a time traveller who travels through time whenever I die. God that sounds even weirder out loud."

She stared into the deep woods in front of her and gave out a short exasperated sigh.

"Man I wish I had wifi or something," Frisk said. "I only have like offline 2 apps on my phone and one them such garbage."

"Yeah that should definitely be your number one concern right now," Flowey said sarcastically. "Hey while you're basking in your grief up there, I'm gonna sit back and ponder back to all the choices I made that led me to this exact moment."

"Ok, you do that," Frisk said, not really paying attention to him.

"Why waste my breath?" Flowey muttered to himself very softly.

Frisk kept staring for a while at the white, snowy trees ahead of her. Now that she was focusing on it, she saw that deeper in the trees and foliage grew so thick that they practically formed an organic wall. Frisk felt a bit unnerved when she imagined in her tired mind that maybe there was something behind there, watching and listening in on her and Flowey.

It also unnerved her a bit on how there wasn't a single sound. No birds chirping, no blowing of the wind. That and the utter stillness of the place made it feel like the place was frozen in time. Yet, even after living her whole life in a cramped and noisy town, where she lived for years in a noisy cramped board school, Frisk had somewhat gotten used to the quiet. The bareness of life down here felt so predictable and familiar, yet it also felt strangely nostalgic, It was as if she had once lived here before, for many years. It was a strange sensation, and she couldn't fully understand it herself.

After a while, she decided she had enough of staring at the dull, dark woods and so she laid down with her head on the log. The log was just long enough for her legs to dangle off the other end, and she put one of her palms behind her head like a fleshy pillow. If she didn't wear a good enough hoodie, the splinters would've most likely been of much annoyance for her arm. Once she was done adjusting herself, she stared at up at the "sky" above. The distant crystals were almost indistinguishable from stars, and Frisk was sure they were put there on purpose to emulate the night sky on the surface. Yet, even though she knew they were just crystals on a cavern ceiling, she was utterly absorbed by the sight.

"Wow," she simply said. "I've seen a night sky full of stars only once before, but this… this might just take the cake for second best."

"Hang on," Flowey said and peeked out of the bag in curiosity. "Have you really only seen the night sky on the surface once?"

"Well, no millions of times actually," Frisk said. "I've only just seen it once when it's filled with stars. At least once that I can remember. Most of the time it's just empty darkness."

"That's strange," Flowey said with a hint of intrigue. "I was always under the impression that stars were still objects."

"Oh, they are," clarified Frisk. "They are. Well, if you want to get technical, stars really are moving, just slowly and so far away that we can't see it."

"Ok, but then what happens to them?" Flowey asked like a curious boy asking his grandmother questions during storytime. "If what you are saying is true, then why does the sky so often turn empty as you say?"

Frisk smiled a small grin.

So this is what it feels like? she thought.

"You seem to be very interested in stars."

"Well, why wouldn't I be?" Flowey said. "So few monsters these days have lived to see them that it's practically mystical. Hell like most monsters, I've been interested in them ever since I was a young kid. Although, perhaps in my case more than others."

"Since you were a kid huh?" Frisk asked with a feeling of curiosity. "Speaking of which, how old are you exactly."

"Oh, I am… not really sure exactly," Flowey confirmed.

"Let me guess," Frisk began. "You don't remember?"

"Yeah that's it," Flowey said and sighed. "Although if I had to guess, I'd say that I am… um… about 15 or so."

"Really?" Frisk asked. "Are you sure? You sound older than that. Like, judging by that voice I'd say you were at least in your twenties."

"Well it's just how I feel," Flowey said. "By the way, you didn't answer my question on why the stars vanish."

"Oh sorry," Frisk exclaimed, as she had almost forgotten that question. "Well umm, they don't go anywhere. We just can't see them because of all the light pollution. At least that's how it is in most places here in Ireland. I'm sure there are dozens of places here on earth left unspoiled.

"Ireland?" Flowey asked, sounding obviously confused. "What? Is that some sort of human drink or something?"

"Ah right," Frisk said. "That's the uh, country we are in. Or under rather. I don't know why I assumed you guys would've heard of it considering you've obviously been down here for like a thousand of years or so."

"Two thousand actually," Flowey corrected. "At least from what I've read."

"Huh."

Both of them turned silent as Frisk began to think.

Two thousand years without seeing the sun and stars? she thought. Sounds awful.

Flowey looked at her for a moment, and then he joined her in looking up at the "stars".

"It's so weird," he said. "I've always just assumed this was such a normal thing for humans. Seeing the stars. Weird to hear it's seemingly just a special commodity."

"Ehh it's not that special," Frisk said. "Most of the time, you just need to hitch a ride to the countryside and there you go. I've just never had such an opportunity. Me and most others."

As she kept staring at the cavern ceiling, Frisk began to yawn. The sleepiness was finally getting to her.

"Man I'm tired," she said. "I think I haven't slept properly in like…2 days or something."

"I thought you fell asleep in the ruins back there?" Flowey said.

"Yeah but, only for like 15 minutes or so," Frisk answered.

"You slept for at least an hour," Flowey said. "Trust me I was there."

"Oh really?" Frisk said, feeling mild shock. "Huh, nevermind. Time down here is so frigging weird. But either way, I am not sure if you know it or not, but an hour of sleep is barely enough for a human, especially if I hadn't slept the night before."

"You didn't sleep the night you came down here?" Flowey asked with a hint of curiosity.

Still staring at the ceiling, Frisk sighed. What Flowey had asked was something she really didn't want to get into it at the moment.

"It's a long story," she simply said. "Tell you later."

"Alrighty then," Flowey said. "Y' know. There is a town not so far from here."

"You mean… a town of monsters?" Frisk asked, feeling a mixture of unease and excitement at that idea.

"Uhh, obviously," Flowey said. "What else did you expect down here? A town of dogs?"

"Do uhh monsters still live there?" Frisk asked. "In that town I mean. And are they all sane like you or have they all turned... well crazy like the guy from the ruins?"

"Nah they are all fine monsters, last I remember," Flowey said. "It's a poor town, but the monsters there have managed surprisingly well. Then again, it's been a few years since I've been awake so things might have changed a bit."

"So you are saying that it might not be there anymore?"

"Ehh maybe, but I am cautiously optimistic. There is also a nice inn there owned by this nice bunny lady and-"

"Wait, did you just say bunny lady?!" Frisk asked and turned her head sideways to him in surprise and intrigue. "Seriously? You have bunny people down here."

Flowey looked up at her, with an otherwise bland expression hinting at slight annoyance.

"Really?" he said. "Is that what weirds you out? After everything you've seen so far?"

"Oh, good point," Frisk said. "It's just how casually you said it felt so… I don't know. Go on."

"Alright," said Flowey. "So anyways, normally it costs money to rent a room for the night, but I am sure she will be generous enough to let a lost, tired and starving little girl and her frail flowery companion to stay there for free for at least one night."

"Uhh, I'm not starving," Frisk said.

"Obviously, but she doesn't need to know that," Flowey said.

"Ahh, I see where you are going," Frisk said. "But wait, won't she, and perhaps the entire town now that I think about it, recognize me as a human?"

"Nah I wouldn't worry about that," Flowey reassured her. "As I said to smiley trashbag back there, most monsters have no idea what a real human looks like. If anything, they'll just think you're one of those ape monsters from down south. Most of them are very isolationist, so it would also help explain your ignorance of the world for them."

"Well, that's convenient," Frisk said.

"Yeah, it is," Flowey said. "So anyway, we convince the aforementioned bunny lady to let us share a single room together for the night and-"

"Hey Woah, Woah, Woah!" Frisk exclaimed as she felt a sudden rush of confusing emotions. "I uh, I think you are perhaps going a bit too fast for my liking."

"What?" Flowey said, utterly befuddled by her reaction. "What are you going on about!"

"Wait, what are you going on about?" Frisk asked back.

"I'm simply saying we should get a room there for the night so that we won't have to sleep the night in this gods-forsaken forest," Flowey answered.

"Oh," Frisk said, feeling incredibly embarrassed and dumb. "Yeah uh, that makes much sense."

"Where did you think I was going with this?" Flowey asked genuinely.

"Oh nowhere!" Frisk quickly said. "Nowhere at all. I guess I am just… tired and not thinking straight."

"Sleep deprivation does that to ya," Flowey said. "That's why you should rest. Gives you a clearer head afterwards."

Frisk chuckled. The way he phrased that reminded her of a certain someone.

"You're kinda starting sound like that old guy from the ruins," she said.

"Yeah, I'm sure that being stuck with him for years might have had some effect on me," Flowey said and smiled back.

Frisk, on the other hand, stopped smiling as memories and thoughts she had tried her hardest to repress these past few hours now came rushing forward.

"Still don't wanna talk about him eh?" Flowey asked.

Frisk didn't answer for a short while. She didn't really know how to answer. The flower was right, she didn't really want to talk about or even think about him. But she felt that she had to do that sooner or later, so she decided to be somewhat honest.

"What is there to talk about?" she asked back, staring at the ceiling. "I met him, he was crazy, I was scared of him, and just as soon as I began to warm up to him, I found out he lied to me and wanted to keep me trapped with him forever. But even then, I still feel awful for having killed him though."

"Even though you completely undid that?" Flowey asked, sounding as if she just said some incomprehensible gibberish.

"Yeah," Frisk said. "But the fact that I did it in the first place is just…"

She sighed. While the guilt of the murder seeped out of her gut, deep within her, she could feel a fear surfacing. A fear that she might've put the old hermit in a worse place than before she met him.

"Honestly, I still feel kinda sorry for him," Frisk admitted. "Even though he was clearly messed up I think that in the end, he was just… lonely. The other creatures in the ruins seemed to be somewhat scared of him, I guess, and now that he's completely alone for good… man, I don't want to even think about it."

"So you're suggesting that you should return and give me back to him, eh? And that I should spend the rest of my life giving him company?"

"Of course not!" Frisk exclaimed.

"I know, I was just messing with you," the flower said.

"Oh," Frisk said. "Sorry, I'm just… kinda slow now I guess."

As she now thought back to the old monster, she realized that all she could possibly focus on was utter despair. Even the small but nice moments she tried to picture were silenced and drowned by the sounds and visuals of her hands covered in blood and the creature's cries of rage and agony.

"Let's talk about something else now shall we?" Frisk said after a while.

"Yeah that's a good idea," Flowey said. "Let's not dwell on him or we'll fall into utter depression. So then, what do you wanna talk about?"

Frisk stared in the air thoughtfully. As she pondered on what to pick, she decided to sit back up. That proved to be surprisingly difficult, as her muscles had gotten somewhat numb from lying still for so long, but after an unnecessarily long time, she finally conquered that difficult challenge and adjusted herself back to her sitting position. After that, she stretched her arms and yawned.

Then she thought hard. She wasn't stumped because she couldn't find anything to talk about, but rather the opposite. She had so many questions swirling around in her head. Questions about the world, this mountain and especially of monsters, including how they work, how many are there, what they generally look like and so on. She half wanted to unload all of her questions at ones like an avalanche of words, like she would have done if she was 6 or 8. again. Frisk then half-realized that this weird place, with all its wonder and mystery, was starting to make her feel like a kid again. A scared, confused kid with so much more questions and answers about the world.

Then finally, she finally decided on a topic. It was a big topic, and she sort of picked it on random, but it was perhaps up there amongst the things she was most curious about, simply because of how incredible it was, and how no matter the answers she would get, it would change her view on the world, and perhaps life in general.

"You mentioned souls that one time," she said to Flowey. "I'm still really curious about them. I mean, there are a bunch of different cultures and religions on the surface so with many interpretations and ideas of what a soul is. Not to mention all the people that reject the idea of souls entirely. The fact that I, just some random, teenage-girl with emotional issues, finally finds an absolute answer to this question, before all scientists and scholars, is just… mind-blowing and… kinda awesome. It honestly makes me feel somewhat cocky. Sorry. Kind of vent a bit overboard."

"A bit yeah…" Flowey said. "Alright then. Souls it is. I still have knowledge left in my noggin. I think. So where do you wanna start."

"Ok so umm, how do they work?" Frisk asked excitedly.

Flowey looked at her with a thoughtful expression. If Frisk didn't know any better, she would have assumed he was stumped.

"That's kind of a big question y' know," he answered. "I may know, or rather used to know, a lot more than most inhabitants down here. But even the smartest monsters down here still don't know the full mechanics or power of them. Even the royal scientist himself, who by the by is the smartest and perhaps also the strangest monster in the underground, hasn't come to a definitive truth yet."

"Then can you then at least tell me the basic?" Frisk asked. "Like I'm sure you guys know something right?"

Flowey looked down on the ground and put one of his vines under his face like a person putting their palm on their chin to ponder.

"Ok, so how do I start," Flowey said, and turned towards her. "Hmm… well for starters, every sentient being is split into 3 separate parts, the body, the soul and the consciousness. Even though they are all "separated", quote on quote, they are still bound to each other in a strange way. That's about what most monsters down here learn on their first day in school. Are you still with me?"

"Yeah I am," Frisk said.

If schools taught shit like this at home, she thought. I think I never would've skipped class.

"Alright, because this is where it gets a bit more complex," Flowey began. "When you die, your body rots while a large part of your consciousness, which is the thing that makes you you, moves into your soul. The easiest thing I can compare it to is when you take a file from your computer and move it into another folder."

"Holy shit!" Frisk said as she felt a sense of incredible revelation. "Are you… are you saying that there is truly life after death?"

Flowey stared at her for a good few moments with a strange expression on his face. It seemed like a mix of awkwardness and sorrow, like a person trying to think on how to announce something disappointing to a person on the peak of their excitement.

"Ehh, no one really knows," Flowey said after a while. "After the owner dies, their soul quickly vanishes afterwards. No one knows where they go, or heck, if they even go anywhere."

"Oh," Frisk said, feeling mildly disappointed.

She was sort of hoping for a more clear answer on this. Still, she felt a bit satisfied with what Flowey told her.

"Well at least it's good to know that souls exist right?" she said. "At least there's still hope for… something after death."

"Oh yeah, I bet that uh, feels great," Flowey said.

Frisk wasn't sure what it was, but she felt like he was hiding something.

"What's wrong," she asked him.

"Oh nothing," he said. "Nothing at all. Hey, wanna see what your soul looks like?"

"What?" Frisk exclaimed.

"Your soul," Flowey said simply. "Wanna see it? I can use some simple magic to take it out of your body for a short while. It's not gonna hurt or anything I promise."

Frisk stared at Flowey with her mouth wide open in shock. Then, thinking it was a joke, she chuckled, although somewhat awkwardly. But then she noticed that Flowey had almost the same, no-nonsense expression on his face as he usually does.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Of course," Flowey said. "Have I lied to you so far? Well besides that one time an hour ago when I lied to hide my fear, but you get the deal."

"I don't know," said Frisk, feeling a bit hesitant. "Isn't removing my soul from me somewhat… dangerous?"

"Well I am not technically gonna remove it from you, I'm just gonna remove it from your body," Flowey said.

"Uhh, those two sound like the same thing," Frisk said.

"Ok, I'm not in the mood to get into the metaphysical nature of all this," Flowey began. "But long story short, even if it's removed from your body, it's still bound to you in a way, and when it comes to humans you can't sever the bond unless you kill them first, and since we both know you are immune to that, it's not really a problem."

"Umm ok then," Frisk asked. "But I dunno, this feels weird."

Flowey looked at her with the sternest expression Frisk had ever seen him make.

"Listen," he began. "If I could or even wanted to take your soul, I would've done so the moment I was awake again."

"I wasn't even suggesting that but now you just put that idea into my head and now I'm extra scared," Frisk said nervously.

Flowey looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and then shrugged.

"Fine then," he said. "If you don't want to see it, then it's your choice."

"Oh uh, wait, wait I wanna see it!" Frisk said quickly.

She wasn't sure if it was the way Flowey said those last words, or whether she really did change her mind, but before she could think, Frisk had already said those words almost instinctively.

"Uh, what?" Flowey asked back, and for a moment Frisk saw a small, satisfied grin on his face.

"Yeah fuck it," Frisk said. "Do the thing. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Are you really, really sure?" Flowey asked somewhat mockingly.

Frisk became quiet again. Truthfully, she wasn't sure at all. On one hand, this was perhaps the first time in hours she was somewhat nervous and unsure of the talking flower. On the other, she knew she might not get such an opportunity in the future.

So after a few seconds, she just nodded and said:

"Yeah sure."

There came a large, satisfied smile on Flowey's face, perhaps the largest smile Frisk had ever seen, and it unnerved her somewhat.

"Alright then," he said. "Now hold still. This won't hurt. But since this is your first time it might feel a bit weird."

Even with that said, Frisk closed her eyes in preparation.

She expected to feel a jolt or some sort of uncomfortable sensation at least, but what came next was surprisingly quick and painless, and felt as ordinary as drinking water. Once she opened her eyes again, she almost gasped as what she saw, she thought was undoubtedly the most amazing thing she had ever seen. In the air in front of her, there floated a red, heart-shaped object of seemingly pure energy. It looked very quaint in hindsight, and it was very small, barely the size of her palm. But during the moment, the mere sight of it made Frisk believe in a world beyond her scope and knowledge.

Everything around it grew darker and darker, and even the cavern crystals far above seemed to fade into nothingness. In the end, all she could see in front of her was a red, glowing object that was the brightest and most colorful thing in the whole world. Yet, strangely enough, Frisk didn't feel one bit frightened. She felt rather familiar with it. Calm even, and she wasn't sure if it was due to some strange magical effect or simply her fascination, but Frisk found herself unable to move her eyes from it. She was so mesmerized by it, that she found herself unable to think properly.

"Holy shit," she said in astonishment. "Is that… my soul."

"Indeed it is," Flowey confirmed.

"Wow, it's so… it's so red," she muttered. "Are all souls like this?"

"Well if you're talking about the structure then yeah," Flowey began. "But human souls aren't exclusively red. They can be blue, purple, orange and so on. Heck, I distinctively remember that one theory that there might even be souls with colours the human mind can't comprehend. How does that work you ask? I don't know. Now here is the cool part. The colours are said to reflect the owners defining trait, like a green soul, would, for example, represents kindness and such belongs to someone who's very kind, while a person with a cyan one means he or she is very patient."

"Wow," Frisk said. "Alright, then does a red soul say about me then."

Flowey looked turned towards the soul, seemingly impressed by the implication of it.

"It means you have a high amount of determination," he said. "That's a good thing. Very good actually. In my mind, it's perhaps the best possible soul trait. You see, even if it's just a tiny tinge, every human has what we call determination in their soul. It's not really determination in the literal sense, but it's rather some sort of hidden force within every human. This force is believed to be the sole thing that gave humans a major advantage over the monsters so many years ago. Humans were immensely determined in comparisons to monsters. That's why they won. A red soul just means that you have higher points of determination than most other humans. That plus all the magic in the air down here is my guess as to how you gained your special power. Frisk? Are you even listening to me?"

"Umm, yeah I think," Frisk said, sounding almost as if she was drugged. "You were talking about my soul… and uh, determination and... sorry, I just feel kinda numb and… confused all of a sudden. It's fine though. It's fine. I think. Yeah, I have this feeling that it's fine."

"Oh, I guess your mind is not used to be separated from your soul huh?" Flowey observed. "Eh, it's your first time. I'm sure it comes with practice. Well, back in you go then."

With that said, the red light, vanished completely, and in that instant, all the light and colours that were missing in the world during that short moment came back as if they were never gone from her sight, but merely hidden from her consciousness.

"Wow, that felt… euphoric," Frisk said, sounding sober again. "I feel like my mind has expanded like ten times."

"Yeah it does that to you," Flowey said and smiled. "The first time that is. It's kinda all downhill from here."

"Hey, can I see yours?" Frisk asked excitedly.

Flowey quickly his head to face her, looking very surprised and obviously taken back by that question.

"What?" he asked.

"Your soul," Frisk said. "You can do that right? Show it to me? I'm super curious now."

"But I-"

"C' mon, let me see," Frisk egged him on like a little kid. "Please? It's not like I can take in y' know."

"But it's just… it's just…"

It was at that moment that Frisk noticed the strange sadness in his tone and posture.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently.

"I… I don't have a soul," Flowey said.

Frisk felt taken back by that answer.

"What?" she exclaimed. "Wait. Do monsters not have souls?"

"Of course they do," answered Flowey. "It's just… I'm not a monster."

"Really?" Frisk asked in a confused manner. "Then… what are you?"

"I'm a flower obviously," he answered simply. "A talking one yes, but a flower nonetheless."

"Umm, ok then what's the difference between a monster and a, uh, talking flower?" Frisk asked.

"Well one has a soul, the other doesn't," Flowey answered. "One is sapient and can talk, the other one… ehhh isn't supposed to be. I'm kind of an anomaly in that case."

"That feels kinda like a non-answer but ok," Frisk said. "But if you're just a simple flower as you say, then why do you have like, I dunno, a face? How can even you talk, and do all that crazy shit like extending your vines?"

"I dunno, I dunno, and I dunno," Flowey answered. "I guess I am just magical or something."

"But wait, if you don't have a soul then... what happens to you when you die?" Frisk asked. "Like where does your mind go and...?"

Frisk stopped in her words as Flowey expression took on a dreary turn. He didn't have to say anything as Frisk could tell by his pained look exactly what the answer was, and she felt sorrow begin to cling to her heart.

"Oh," she said. "That's uh… god, I'm sorry."

"Nah it's fine," Flowey answered while staring melancholically at the ground. "I've accepted this fate for a while now."

They both stared at the ground quietly for a moment while this thought dawned on their minds.

"Can't imagine how it feels," Frisk said sympathetically.

"Yeah I don't think anyone can," Flowey said without looking up.

Then as if to lighten the mood, he suddenly began to chuckle.

"Y'know," Flowey began. "The funny thing is, this is exactly how I discovered this power. To reset that is. You see, once I was uhh… let's say on the verge of dying, and during that moment I thought to myself-"

There came suddenly an indistinguishable sound of something rustling in the bushes far behind them, and Frisk turned around as if the entire forest had just yelled at them.

"What was that?" she whispered.

"I dunno," Flowey whispered back.

"Think it's that weird skeleton guy again?"

"Well, in that case, I'd rather it'd be a killer on our trail."

Frisk let herself stood up from the log and kneeled down on one knee. She and Flowey then practically huddled together as they stared at the direction of the sound for a good few moments. They could barely see anything as there were too many trees and shrubbery in the way. But they waited and waited, and after a while, the air was completely still again.

"Yeah, I'm sure it was nothin-"

Before Frisk could finish her sentence, there came suddenly a much worse sound from deep within, a sound so weird and uncanny that it sent shivers and dread through Frisk's entire body, and she froze from it. It came from somewhere deep within the thick foliage, and it sounded very much like a cry of a reindeer in pain with an uncanny hint of a human quality to it.

"Holy shit," Frisk whispered.

"Yeah that's definitely not smiley trashbag," Flowey said, sounding almost as stunned by the sound as Frisk.

* * *

Author's note:

Just FYI, the thing at the end might not be as amazing as it sounds. Hell, it's arguably not that amazing at all. Just wanted to have a cliffhanger in the chapter.

But anyway, I'm back.  
I am sorry for the delay, I had much going on, et cetera.  
It's kind of a habit at this point I think. Having long delays between chapters. I'd be surprised to hear if I still have some of my old readers around here.

But here it is, finally. I mostly blame my laziness than anything. I have NOT lost interest in this story, nor am I losing it anytime soon. The reason for most of the delays is simple, pure procrastination. I do think I might have some attention problem, but I am not gonna try to diagnose myself or anything.

As for the chapter itself. What dangers and adventures could possibly be coming to Frisk and Flowey after a month hiatus. Talking. Yes talking. I felt like having a chapter where they just talk...  
Maybe should've delayed my break for a bit.  
On the bright side, I am kind of far with the next two chapters, with the one after this being almost done since it was originally gonna be part of this chapter. But then I realized that writing and going over it would take too long, so I decided to split it in two so I could update the story much earlier.

I think that's all I've got to say now so adios. See you soon.*

*I'll try to at least.

Edit: So I just realized I forgot that Frisk was partly barefoot at this point since she threw her other shoe at "the creature" at the end of the ruins chapter, meaning that I just made a bit of a continuity error.

So I went ahead and updated this chapter so no-one can pester me in the future about it.

Also, good news. I am almost done with the next chapter after this. Just need to write 1 or 2 more paragraphs and then do a simple run over, fixing some errors and making minor changes. I expect the chapter to be up and ready about this weekend, but I also have to deal with school and finishing Borderlands 2 as a build-up for the 3rd game so I'm not making any promises. But I am personally optimistic so... keep an eye out this weekend.


	14. The Forest Part 4

**The Forest Part 4**

The duo sat still for a while as they waited for something, anything, to follow up from that inhuman cry.

" _What the fuck was that thing_?" Frisk whispered.

Flowey didn't say anything immediately, but rather stared in the distance, looking very nervous yet thoughtful.

" _I-I know this sound very well but.._ " he began.

" _But you don't remember?_ " Frisk guessed.

" _Oh we only met a few hours ago and already you know me so well,_ " the flower replied without turning to her.

" _Well, don't flatter yourself, it's kinda par for the course now_ ," Frisk said. " _Still, that was without a doubt the creepiest fucking thing I've heard_."

" _Ugh, it sounded so familiar yet I just can't place it!_ " Flowey said and gave out a frustrated sigh. " _Give me a moment and I am sure it'll come back to me._ "

" _Or better yet, let's go check it out_ ," Frisk said bluntly.

Flowey turned and stared at her as if she had just casually admitted to having murdered someone.

" _Seriously?_ " he exclaimed, almost breaking his whisper. " _Oh, please tell me you're joking_."

Frisk casually shrugged.

" _Why not?_ " she asked seriously. " _It's not like death is a problem for me or anything_. _Hell, if I die, we'll just come back here and we'll continue on knowing at least what's out there. It's a win-win situation in my eyes_."

" _But didn't you just say earlier that you were worried you might transport back to the ruins with the old man_?" Flowey asked.

Frisk turned abruptly silent for a moment.

" _Well yeah, it's just…_ " she began and sighed. " _I dunno I guess you're right. It was a stupid idea_."

Flowey stared back anxiously at the source of the sound.

" _Fine, go then_ ," he whispered bluntly.

" _What, are you serious_?" Frisk asked back, feeling almost a bit excited.

" _I mean it's your choice and it's not like I can stop ya_ ," Flowey answered. " _But please don't tell me you're gonna take me along on this dreadful excursion of yours_."

" _What you think I am just gonna leave you here alone here?_ " Frisk whispered. " _Of course am I gonna take you with me._ "

" _What?_ " Flowey whispered in surprise. " _Are you… ugh, fine. As I said, it's your choice._ "

" _Aww, c' mon, cheer up_ ," Frisk whispered somewhat merrily. " _It'll be like a little adventure_."

" _Yeah an adventure where we could get killed, captured or both by some unspeakable horror_ ," Flowey whispered bluntly.

" _Well I'm in_ ," Frisk whispered.

With that said, or rather whispered, she put Flowey on her back and began carefully to fight through the heavy snow and vegetation. As she did, Flowey began to slowly lean into the backpack and huddle.

Frisk now wandered once again through the thick snow and foliage and began to slowly feel more nervous, yet also more intrigued at the same time. She felt like she was now incredibly capable and determined to push through any obstacles she could just to see what was on the other side, no matter how dangerous or stupid she considered that action to be.

But pushing through the snow was no gruesome challenge though. In fact, it was much easier than last time as it became more shallow and thin the further she went, and before she knew it Frisk was now lightly jogging.

" _So what do you think it'll be_?" she asked Flowey, partly to ease her growing nervousness.

" _You seem unusually cheery for a girl heading into possible instant death_ ," Flowey simply replied.

" _I mean, it helps to always keep myself in a good mood I guess_ ," Frisk whispered casually and shrugged. " _Besides, we don't even know if whatever this thing is is really dangerous or not._ "

" _Fair point_ ," Flowey whispered. " _But to answer your question, well, it can be any number of things, from being some poor harmless kid with a strange voice or voice infection, to an omnivorous eldritch abomination that eats flowers and drags you into hell where it tortures you for a long time before putting you out of your misery._ "

" _Ok, that last part was… needlessly detailed and dark_ ," Frisk replied and chuckled anxiously. " _Got like any deep-seated issues or… hang on. Those… demon things don't actually exist do they…?_ "

" _Of course not, I'm just preparing us for the worst is all,_ " Flowey replied. " _I have no idea what the worst can actually be._ "

" _Oh that's good,"_ Frisk said while pushing through some very thick foliage. " _The fact that those things don't actually exist I mean, not that you have no idea what the worst is. But whatever it is. Even if it's something like a monster clown or a running pile of baby demon zombies or whatever, I am sure that we will absolutely make- holy fucking shit, what is that?!_ "

As she removed the last piece of foliage, Frisk and Flowey came into a large opening of covered in thin snow, and saw by a large rock a few meters in front of her, lying wounded and covered in dozens of bruises and little garbage, perhaps the strangest creature she had seen, not just in the underground, but in her entire life. With every other creature she had seen down here, there was at least something on earth that she could easily compare them to, like a skeleton, a frog or an anthropomorphic hybrid of a goat and a lion. This thing, however, seemed to be utterly alien from any animal or object on earth at first glance. The closest thing she could compare this creature was to a reindeer due to its brown-furred body that was almost identical to a reindeer body, besides the lack of a tail.

But the head of the creature, which was massive and about the same size as the body, looked nothing like the head of any other beast she knew about.

It had two antlers, or rather one and a half, protruding from the top that resembled tree branches, and one of them even had what looked like a small pine tree protruding up from it. The other antler was much shorter and clearly broken, with a small piece still dangling off from it. The ears were the most "normal" part of the head, besides the fact that they more closely resembled rabbit ears than a deer's and they protruded upwards between the antlers. Then there were the eyes, which unlike a normal deer, were facing the front like a human, and they were completely white except for a small black line in the centre like a cat's eye.

But by far the weirdest part was its mouth, or rather at least what Frisk assumed was its mouth. It took up over half the creature's face, but rather than opening up and down like most creatures, the mouth opened up by the sides like a scissor, which gave the creature a complete alien quality. It seemed to breathe in and out from this strange mouth and Frisk could occasionally see dozens of razor-sharp teeth inside.

Besides the aforementioned broken antler, it was also covered in bruises and shrapnel wounds, and there was a bloody stump where one of its hooves should've been. Not to mention, the creature was also covered and tangled in some leftover garbage.

At the moment, it didn't seem to notice Frisk or Flowey, and if it did then it clearly didn't care about them. Rather it seemed to wail and whimper softly.

" _What the hell is that thing?_ " Frisk whispered.

Flowey rose up from the open backpack to take a look, and his eyes became filled with clarity.

" _Ahh these things_ ," he answered. " _Don't remember what they are called, but I've seen them before. They are harmless. Mostly. If you don't irritate them at first that is_."

" _God, what could've happened to it?_ " Frisk asked.

" _Well, first of all, calling them an "it" is just rude._ " Flowey began. " _Second, what seems to have happened is that either he or she stepped on a landmine or a boobytrap, or some kid messed with it using some deadly magic. As for the garbage? Well, I remember some stories of teenagers decorating those things with garbage as a prank so that's probably unrelated to its… current state_."

Frisk stared emphatically at the wounded and whimpering creature.

" _Wh-what do you think we should do?_ " she asked softly

" _I dunno_ ," Flowey answered. " _What do you think?_ "

" _I… I don't think it's gonna make it_ ," she whispered. " _Maybe I should…_ "

She sighed in despair. She assumed that if this thing worked similar to an ordinary deer, it was most likely going to die slowly and painfully. But she recognized that there was perhaps one thing she could do, and even though she hated that suggestion, she believed it was the best mercy she could give it.

" _Frisk, what are you thinking?_ " Flowey asked anxiously.

She wordlessly picked up the red-hued knife from her pocket.

" _I- I think it's for the best_ ," she whispered sadly.

Flowey looked at her utterly shocked.

" _Uhh, are you not just dumb but crazy as well?_ " he exclaims.

" _Why do you think that?_ " Frisk asked genuinely. " _Don't you think that leaving this animal like this, to die slowly and in pain, is a worse option._ "

" _It's not that_ ," Flowey began. " _What I'm getting at is that-_ "

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

" _What were you getting at?_ " Frisk asked.

" _Never mind_ ," Flowey answered.

" _Wait what were you going to say?_ "

Flowey turned to her and for a moment she could've sworn there was a glint of a devious smile on his strange face.

" _Y' know what_?" he began. " _I was wrong, and you were right. I think putting it out of its misery is the better option_."

" _Are you sure?_ " she asked him.

" _Absolutely_ ," Flowey said confidently.

Hearing his agreement, Frisk assumed that she would feel more assured in this action, but she now felt rather more hesitant instead. To make things worse, she also felt a bit that the flower was now hiding something.

But she didn't think much of that and turned back to the wounded creature, which had stopped whimpering and now seemed to be waiting for its inevitable death.

" _Alright_ ," Frisk said.

She carefully crept towards the wounded monster, like the way she assumed she should approach a wounded deer when it suddenly and quickly turned it's strange head to her making Frisk stop in her tracks. The creature, however, did nothing. Just stared at her, seemingly uninterested as if she was just yet another tree in the wood.

"Hey, it's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you," Frisk lied.

The creature made no sound as she continued towards it with the red knife firmly gripped in her hand. Even though she had felt the sensation of taking another life with the old monster from the ruins, Frisk still felt awful in doing this. She wondered desperately at that moment whether there was some way to save this creature, anything, but she could think of nothing.

As Frisk closed in on the creature, she raised her empty hand in the air as if to calm it.

"Yeah that's it, be calm," she said reassuringly. "It's alright. It will just be-"

"Are you mocking me kid?" an elderly male voice suddenly said. "Or are you actually planning to stab me as well? Why isn't my current suffering enough?"

Frisk stopped creeping and now stared at the creature utterly stumped.

 _Did it just…_? she thought

"Wait, you can talk?" Frisk asked.

"Of course I can," the voice replied. "Why wouldn't I? Do I look like some sort of weird dog to you or something?"

Frisk felt utterly apologetic. The strange creature on the ground now seemed to have an expression on its bizarre mouth that seemed to show a feeling of utter insult.

"Oh shit, I am terribly sorry!" Frisk exclaimed. "I wasn't aware that you could speak and..."

She heard Flowey snicker behind her. She felt annoyance and frustration build up within her, and she turned around and sawm just as she expected, a large grin on the flower's face, stretching from leaf to leaf joined by his soft laughter.

"You- you knew?!" Frisk asked him in near anger.

"Uh yeah I did," Flowey said grinning. "What? Is it not funny when I pull the same gag twice?"

"Is- is this a joke to you?!" Frisk exclaimed. "I almost just murdered that guy. What, if he didn't say anything, were you just gonna let me cluelessly stab him? Is that it?"

"Do you think so little of me, of course not!" Flowey said, still grinning. "I'd have stopped you if it went too far."

Frisk sighed.

"God you're such a fucking asshole Flowey," she said.

The flower shrugged smugly.

"Yeah sorry Frisk," he apologized, but Frisk wasn't sure if he was genuine or not. "It was just such a good opportunity to-"

"Umm, I'm still here kiddos," the creature interrupted. "Typical teenagers. Not caring about the elderly even when one is literally dying in front of them."

"Oh sorry," Frisk said and put the knife back into her pocket. "Don't mean to be rude, but I just kind of assumed you weren't really… well, sapient."

"So you were just gonna put me down like a wounded dog is that it?" the creature said.

"You make it sound so… worse," Frisk began. "God, I said I'm sorry!"

The creature gave out a strange sound that eerily resembled a sigh. Then he looked down on the ground as if in despair.

"It's alright kiddo," he said and winced in pain. "I don't think there is any way you can make my situation worse anyway. Gah! So anyway, I guess you're not from around here are you?"

"Oh, what gave it away?" Frisk asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"Many kids these days are dumb and unobservant yes," the creature began. "What with them misusing their brains by twiddling all day on their phones or pulling dumb magic pranks on us unsuspecting elderly. But in all my years of experience, I've never met someone so out of touch as you."

"Yeah, you have no idea how accurate that actually is," Frisk answered.

 _If he finds out I'm human_ , she thought. _Then how the hell is he gonna react? Will he call someone or… god, this is stressing._

"Thought so," the creature said. "So judging by your look and ignorance, I am guessing you are from Apetown is that it?"

"Oh umm…" Frisk began.

She quickly turned towards Flowey for desperate guidance at this moment, and for a split second, she was almost sure she saw him wink.

"Um, yeah," Frisk said. "I'm an ape from… Apetown. All the way from… downtown Apetown."

The creature stared at Frisk with squinting eyes as if it would help him see better, and Frisk felt her sweat began to form on her neck. Then the creature just rolled his eyes and puffed.

"Bah, of course, you're an ape monster," he exclaimed with a hint of grudge. "Of course. Why wouldn't you be?"

 _Yes, save!_ Frisk thought.

Meanwhile, the wounded creature seemed to be somewhat irritated.

" _By the gods and the angel, why does it always have to be ape monsters_?" he whispered to himself.

"I'm guessing from your words and tone that you don't really, uh, like my kind?" she asked him.

"Is that what you're hearing?" the creature asked back and sighed. "Alright, truth is, I got no qualms with your kind. Not in general that is. But no offence, for the past few years, you hermits have been swarming up here in the tens and messing with our ways and such. Ever since **Mickey** and his dumb lackey Willy showed up that is. Ugh, I should've expected they'd bring more of their kind up-"

"Wait what did you just say?!" Frisk quickly asked.

"I said I should've expected-"

"No, before that!" Frisk urgently said.

"Ever since Mickey and Willy showed up?" the creature asked, sounding confused. "Why?"

"Who-who's Mickey?" Flowey asked nervously.

Whether it was due to some distant memory or instinct, of some frightened curiosity, or simply because it was the exact name that the old monster had warned them about, the mere mention of that name threw Frisk and Flowey into a state of desperation. It was as if finding out who this "Mickey" is was the only thing that mattered at this current moment, and Frisk felt herself mentally prepare for whatever evilness or horror the wounded creature would lay on them.

But both Frisk's and Flowey's excitement and fear dwindled immensely after the creature simply shrugged.

"Dunno," he said. "Except that he's a real asshole whose damn leftover traps put me in this situation. But besides that, I know nothing about. Like everyone around here."

"Ok is there at least anything you can tell us?" Flowey asked.

"Like just a little bit?" Frisk added.

"You two seem strangely interested in that guy," the creature said with the same tone of confusion as before.

"It's just umm," she began, trying to make their reason sound not that weird or crazy. "We've heard that name before. And not in a good way that is."

"Well of course you have," the creature said. "Everyone's heard of that name. Of the great champion of our current king and kingdom. Of our great saviour, _Mickey_."

He said that last line with a clearly distinct sneer.

"Bah, what a grand hero he is," he added sarcastically. "Most likely a bunch of lies. Nothing more than a con artist I'm sure. If he's so great, then why the hell are we still in this accursed situation?"

"Wait, didn't you just say a moment ago that no-one knows who he is," Flowey said curiously. "But if that's the case, then how can he also be a known hero at the same time?"

"Well that's just the thing isn't it?" the creature said. "He's popular and well known, yet at the same time, we barely know jackshit about him. He apparently just showed up one day and we are now suddenly supposed to accept that he's some hero or champion? Bah, malarkey!"

Somewhere in the middle of the strange creatures monologue, Frisk had sat down to ease her legs and later on she became to bothered to keep her focus that she didn't even think much about the wet snow that was uncomfortably soaking her pants. She also didn't notice immediately that his expression had now suddenly taken on a darker look.

"But if you really wanna know something, then I've heard some rumours," he began after a short pause, now sounding almost frightened. "That he has supposedly done some… dark things. Evil things even. But eh. What do I know? I've lived alone in these woods all my life, and I don't go to town much. Hell, I don't even have a working TV anymore, so maybe I am merely the one who's ignorant. Who knows? Maybe the people in town can tell you much more. But I wouldn't bet on it though. Last time I was there, which wasn't long ago I might add, I asked some monsters, young and old, about this Mickey fella. Most of them knew just as much as me, while many seemed hesitant about even mentioning him. So expect much if you go there. Oh, I think I might've spoken too much. Terribly sorry."

"Oh no no it's fine," Frisk said. "It's fine, I've... heard longer. God, you should see my old teacher."

She turned to look at Flowey who, as Frisk judged by his expression, seemed incredibly invested in the creature's talk

"You got any of that?" she asked him.

"Oh yeah, plenty," he answered. "Practically all of it I think. When you have basically just a half-empty mind like myself, it's really handy to fill in those dozens of holes with some useful information, no matter how plentiful. Or at least, that's how I think it works."

 _Well good to know at least one of us got more than half_ , Frisk thought. _God, I'm so tired_.

"Well, doesn't really matter if you didn't listen to me," the creature said. "But it nice that you did though at least. Honestly, I just thought it was really good to speak overall. Really helped keep my mind off the pain- gah, gods."

He groaned a bit as more blood began spewing out of the red stump.

"Oh, shit!" Frisk exclaimed. "Umm, take it easy, mister, I can…"

"Nah don't worry kid, it's fine," the creature said. "It can't get any worse than this."

Frisk looked at the red stump which was surrounded by pools of blood that instantly vaporized before her very eyes into dozens of dust particles that became indistinguishable from the snow. After a short while, the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

"Is there... anything I, or rather we, can do for you?" Frisk asked him somberly.

The strange creature became thoughtful for a moment. Then, as if quickly coming to a decision, he turned and pointed with his strange mouth towards the thick trees to his left.

"See that cabin over there," he said. "That's my old home. Now if I can remember correctly, there is supposedly a completely full bottle in one of the kitchen cabinets, labelled _emergency_. I was on my way to get it myself, but then my wounds grew too severe and my body completely gave up. Can you perhaps snatch it for me? I'd be forever grateful if you did. The cabin is only two rooms big, a living room and the kitchen I mentioned, so you won't get lost."

Frisk turned to the direction he pointed and indeed saw a small cabin, hidden about just from sight within the trees. It was a bit of a walk away, yet even from a distance where it looked like a tiny toy house the size of her palm, Frisk could see that it was old and rotting.

"Alright," she said. "We can do that."

The creature gave out a breath of relief.

"Thank you girl," he said. "Thank you very much. Mayhaps, there is still hope down here."

"Wait, you don't think there are any traps that way right?" Flowey asked cautiously. "Like the one that got you."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure there isn't," the creature said. "The one that got me was actually quite far back. Like 2 hours ago or so."

"You-you've been walking like that for hours?" Frisk exclaimed. "Holy shit."

"Yeah, yeah, can you get me that bottle now?" the creature asked.

"Oh sorry."

She stood back up and wiped the wet snow from her pants.

"What was your name again?" she asked.

"Gyftrot," the creature said. "Name's Gyftrot, like in gift and rot."

"Alright Gyftrot," Frisk said. "We'll be a moment. I promise."

"You better," Gyftrot said.

"Right."

With that said, Frisk began to head towards the cabin with a bit of speed in her steps. The snow became heavy once again as they left the clearing, so running was impossible at this point.

"So…" Flowey began as Frisk trod through the snow. "What have we learned about Mickey?"

"Well…" Frisk began. "We know that he's real at least, and not like a collective delusion with the old guy and you, no offence. Not sure that's good though, but we at least know what to really look out for. Also, he's supposedly a monkey creature I… guess? And a knight? I think Gyftrot said something about that, and also that he's possibly dangerous… and evil… and mysterious as well. It's not much, but it's at least something to go off on. If I were being honest, I somehow feel like I know less about Mickey now than before."

"Well he did mention a king," Flowey said. "That Mickey was his champion or something. Strange though, that he mentioned a king in the current sense. Now that I think about it, Smiley Trashbag also did that. Very strange indeed. I kind of would've thought that…"

He turned abruptly silent.

"Kind of would've thought what?" Frisk asked.

"Oh sorry," Flowey said. "Kind of got lost in thought."

"You know something I don't or…?"

"Oh, it's nothing like that," Flowey said. "I think I might've just misplaced a memory somewhere or something."

"Alright then," Frisk said with a bit of suspicion and continued on.

After a few more difficult steps, they had arrived at the broken-down shack. It somehow managed to look worse up close, with a large gaping hole one side, like something big had burst through, and a holey roof held up by old wooden walls that looked like they could collapse at any moment. The shack was about the size of two bedrooms and the roof was just high enough for her to reach with her hands.

Frisk slowly stepped through the large hole and heard the floorboard creak by her step, and as she entered she carefully walked through what she assumed was supposed to be the living room, with the only hint being a single, decayed couch that was half-sunken through the broken floor. Frisk half-expected that she would fall through the floorboards with every step.

"Weird that he would leave this bottle here, and whatever's in it, for god knows how long rather than take it with him to where he lives now," Frisk pondered. "Especially since it seems to be something important. I just don't get it."

"Ahh, well there are a lot of things you don't get about monsters," Flowey said. "No offence of course. You're new here after all. Like did you know that they have a huge affinity for riddles and puzzles?"

"That… doesn't surprise me as much as it should," Frisk said while she crept into a room smaller than the one before, that only held a few cupboards and a large wooden table.

"Still," she continued. "Don't see what that has to do with my previous question though."

"Oh it probably doesn't," Flowey answered. "That was a good point actually. So much so that I was actually considering if this a perhaps weird puzzle of his. Even then, I'm about as stumped as you if I were to admit. Huh. Stumped and not because of a memory loss. Gods how I missed that feeling."

"Alright keep being cocky back there," Frisk said.

Flowey didn't seem to notice her mild roast, or at least Frisk noticed he didn't care much as he gave out no reaction or backfire.

There were about 6 different cupboards nailed on the walls above what looked like an old kitchen sink, including some empty spots that seemed like they once held more cupboards, as proven by the small piles of broken wood that were all placed on the floor right below each of the missing frames.

First thing Frisk did was to rummage through them with her foot, the one that still had a shoe on it, but she found no bottle, any shards of glass or piles of liquid.

"Why is he so sure that the bottle is still even in here?" Flowey asked.

"C' mon, glass-half-full Flowey," Frisk said.

"I'm just saying," Flowey began. "This place has clearly been abandoned for… gods know how long. And judging by the stench it's probably been much longer than that, yuck. But I'm just thinking practical. Bunch of monsters must've looted this place before us. Hell, maybe dozens of humans have come here as well. Not to mention that mister Gyftrot back there didn't even think to put up a lock on the cupboards for some reason."

"Yeah, I've considered that," Frisk said while peeking through one of the remaining cupboards. "Still, better to check and be sure rather than to give up prematurely. And besides, glass-half-full remember?"

Fortunately, her cautious but clear optimism proved valid, as immediately after she opened up one of the larger cupboards, she saw deep inside a large glass vial the size of a beer bottle with faded ink writing on it that clearly once said _emergency_.

"Aha," Frisk said and smiled. "See, what did I tell you Flowey?"

"I mean I never denied that the bottle couldn't still be here," Flowey said in a low voice, almost muttering it.

Frisk reached in and grabbed the bottle, which surprised her by how warm it felt, and pulled it out into view.

It was about the size of her elbow, and a bit heavy since. Its glass was sickly green and nearly impossible to see through unless you stared at it longe enough.

The first thing both Frisk and Flowey noticed was its heavy alcoholic smell. Frisk recognized it immediately. In fact, she knew that smell very personally.

She removed the brown tap out of curiosity and sniffed. There came an absolutely putrid stench that caused Frisk to wince before she quickly closed it back up, but not before it filled and drowned the room in a stench resembling rotten fruit and faeces.

"Gah fuck me," Frisk exclaimed.

"Dear angel," Flowey exclaimed. "This might just be one of the worst things I have ever smelled. And that's saying a lot."

"Guh, so you think this gunk is gonna save the reindeer thing out there?" Frisk asked as she cringed from the leftover stench.

"Well possibly," Flowey answered. "I do faintly remember hearing stories of magical healing potions and other drinks that can cure almost any wound. But if I also remember correctly they are mostly used in hospitals and science experiments, due to the difficulty and expense in making one. In that case, it's very strange and also incredibly convenient that he just has one laying around here casually."

"Well, whatever's the reason," Frisk began. "Let's hope it works."

"Indeed."

Frisk slowly crept back over the rotting floorboards, back through the large gap and shivered as her shoeless foot entered the snow.

Now remembering how cold and wet her feet felt, she hurriedly travelled back to the creature by following her own footprints.

 _If that house didn't kill me_ , she thought. _Then hypothermia definitely will_.

But as she backtracked through the snow, Frisk began to have uncomfortable thoughts and concerns towards the bottle. It was mostly due to the surprising familiarity it gave, and what that same familiarity could possibly entail.

"Frisk is something wrong?" Flowey asked, having noticed her subtle but visible distress.

"I dunno," Frisk began. "I just have this weird feeling about this bottle. Or suspicion rather. I'm probably wrong though. At least I hope I'm wrong. We'll see."

She came back through the clearing, where the strange mouthed creature still lay in the same spot, trying to get some newspaper out of its horn using just its head.

"Took you long enough," Gyftrot said as he noticed the duo. "It's not like I'm dying here or anything."

"Relax," Frisk said. "I'm here ain't I? I got your stuff. Now drink up."

She sat down on one knee and opened up the foul smelling-bottle before bringing it to his strange mouth.

"Thanks," Gyftrot said. "But I can handle the rest myself."

He grabbed the bottle from her hands using his pincher mouth and in a very strange set of movements, which Frisk found incredibly weird to watch, he succeeded in perfectly adjusting it using just his mouth and teeth, and began to drink. It was like watching a gymnast performing a near impossible technique that he had mastered his whole life.

But Frisk couldn't bring herself to wonder or feel much awe about the creatures strange habit, as she found herself unable to hide her suspicions any longer.

"That's not medicine is it?" she asked him.

As if on command, the creature carefully placed the bottle on the snow with his pincers.

"Is that what you thought?" he answered. "No. Of course, it isn't."

 _I knew it_ , Frisk thought sadly.

Gyfrot then picked up the bottle again and took another gulp, perhaps the biggest he had taken so far.

Even though she had suspected the true nature of the bottle, and even though she barely knew him, she still couldn't help but feel awful in hearing it confirmed.

"Does… does that mean you're gonna die?" she asked anxiously.

Gyftrot placed the bottle back down while cringing from the strong taste.

"Well unless you can find a doctor in these woods within a minute or two then yeah," he said.

Frisk didn't know what to say at this point. She turned to Flowey as if expecting him to have an answer but he just looked at her surprised and a bit sorrowful as well.

"Shit man I…" Frisk began and turned back towards the dying creature. "I- I don't know what to say I-"

"You don't need to say anything," Gyftrot replied. "It's fine. I've been waiting for this day for a while now. Hell, I've been keeping just this magic booze stashed away for a long time just for something like this. You see its magical qualities make it so that it gets much better the longer its kept in a place that's very personal in the owner's memory. It's high-quality stuff, something that's fitting for royalty to drink."

He grabbed the bottle up from the snow with his pincer and handed it towards Frisk.

"Here have some," he said. "On the house. Since you were so kind to me after all, heh."

Frisk reached and grabbed the warm bottle from the pincer. She wasn't particularly fond of the taste in alcohol, having tried some variants plenty of times, so she took it purely out of courtesy.

She opened the top letting the disgusting smell appear and then took a quick swig.

The taste reminded her of mould and rotten grapes and fruit, and it made her want to immediately puke it all out. But she instead grinned and forced the remains down her throat.

"So, how does it taste?" Gyftrot asked.

"Ugh, it's umm delicious," lied Frisk while grinning. "Sorry, I just drank it wrong is all."

"Thanks for your courtesy, but you don't have to lie," the creature said. "Was pretty sure you wouldn't like it anyways. These things are often an acquired taste you see."

"Ok then," Frisk said as she handled Flowey the bottle.

To none of their surprise, Flowey spat out the drink as soon as he took just a single and small swig.

"Good angel…" he said while handing Frisk back the bottle with his wines. "I'm sorry old-man but gods. This liquid is atrocious. Even calling it one is an insult to liquids in general."

Gyftrot laughed softly by his words, and it was one of the strangest sounds Frisk had ever heard come from a living creature. It was like hearing an old deer attempting to imitate human laughter.

"Gods I always love seeing you kids try these," Gyftrot said and grabbed the bottle from Frisk's hand using his mouth.

He took another large gulp and Frisk found it now rather disgusting to watch him drink it.

"Gah," Gyftrot began and placed the bottle carefully in the snow with his pincer mouth. "Kind of expected a different reaction from a human but eh."

Frisk felt her stomach swell from the sudden and casual revelation of the monster.

"You… you knew I was human?" she asked in surprise.

"Oh, you truly are?" Gyftrot asked. "It was more of a guess really. But no, I didn't suspect it all the time. I didn't think of it until you were gone to fetch my drink. You see I thought you looked strangely familiar the first time I saw you, and you also didn't look like any ape monster I've seen, what with your clean-shaven fur and brownish underskin. Not to mention your complete ignorance."

"Ok then…" Frisk said nervously. "Are you gonna…"

"C'mon kiddo," Gyftrot said, having noticed her unease. "Do I really look like someone who could pose a threat to you? Honestly, I don't even give a crap that you're human. Just makes these final moments much more interesting."

He attempted to lift the bottle up again, but suddenly he dropped it as fast as he grabbed, and out of it spilt a bit of brownish liquid on the white snow.

Then he stared at the bottle on the snow, looking utterly helpless.

"I… I can't feel my mouth anymore," Gyftrot said, not in a tone of worry but rather of little surprise. "Or my body for that matter. Can you… help me drink the rest? I've suddenly grown rather weak at the moment."

"Oh sure thing," Frisk said and leaned forward to grab his strange mouth. "Flowey? A little help?"

"Right," the flower replied without hesitation.

Flowey used his elongated vines to support the bottom Gyftrot's mouth while Frisk reached for the bottle with her loose hand. It was a really clumsy affair, but she succeeded and then proceded to feed the creature like she was feeding a little lamb milk from a bottle.

The creature drank it all up, every single last drop from the bottle, and it went on for so long that Frisk almost thought it was bottomless for a second.

The drink slobbily ran down the creature's cheek, or at least what Frisk assumed was his cheek, and seemed to grow stuck in the fur, and in a short moment, it was clear the foul-smelling bottle was finally empty due to its lightness and no more leftovers liquids leaking out by the sides.

But Gyftrot still kept chugging for a few moments on the now empty bottle as if he wanted to savour the taste as best he could. Then after a short while, he grunted softly and Frisk noticed it was him signalling that this was good enough.

Then as soon as she removed the empty alcohol bottle from his drippy mouth, he suddenly, and very casually, extended a horrendous looking thick, brown vine from his mouth to clean out the remains on his jaw. It took Frisk a moment to realizes that this disgusting appendage was his tongue due to her momentary shock.

"Ahhh, that was… worth it," Gyftrot said and detracted his strange tongue. "My last meal you could say. You may keep the bottle if you don't mind. A memo of me. I obviously don't care about it anymore. Heh. I gotta say. I was very lucky you two were here. Very lucky indeed."

"Is there…" Frisk began, feeling a lump in her throat. "Is there anything else we can do for you? Like is there someone I should call or…"

"Funny that you should concern yourself so much with someone you've known for less than half an hour," the creature said.

"Oh sorry," Frisk said. "It's just…a habit I-"

"Bah, you don't need to apologize or even justify it kiddo," Gyftrot said. "Kindness is… not something one should have to usually defend in this world. And to see such kindness from a human, one that I would've expected from a monster, is… marvellous. Imagine. Dying at the hands of a human. A selfless one at that. Never would have imagined it in my life."

He gave out a sad sigh.

"But to answer your previous question," Gyftrot began. "No. There is no one left to care for me. I-"

The creature suddenly began to violently cough.

"Hey, hey take it easy, mister," Frisk said and softly patted his back.

The cough began to lessen and Gyftrot began to breathe easy again as it's strange face suddenly took on a melancholy expression.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you very much. Frisk wasn't it?"

She nodded.

"What a strange name," Gyftrot pondered. "Frisk."

"That's more of a nickname actually," the girl clarified. "My real name is actually Fransisca, but everyone just calls me Frisk either way so yeah, it's basically my official name at this point."

Gyftrot chuckled a bit, and then immediately began to cough loudly again.

"Woah, Woah, slow down," Frisk said gently.

The creature quickly stopped but then spat out some blood, which then quickly turned into small dust particles that vanished in the snow.

"Never had any children," he began. "Never really liked them for a long time, nor have I ever had any interest in having them. Relationships were never my thing either, so I always believed I would die alone. Kind of thought it would be better like that."

Gyftrot coughed again and spewed a bit more blood. Then he took a short breather and continued speaking.

"But… this is nice," he began. "Having someone with me in my final moments is… better than I expected. So thank you, Frisk. Even if I've only known you for a short moment, it's nice to have you here. And you too, Flowey, let's not forget you as well."

"Well it's the best we can do now," Flowey said, and Frisk felt herself notice a hint of sadness in his tone.

Gyftrot gave an expression that seemed to resemble a smile, or at least that was what Frisk guessed based on his strange mouth.

"But even if I'd miraculously survived this," he continued. "I doubt I'd have any children either way. But now I know at least… that I should have perhaps appreciated them more."

"I mean, anything can happen, right?" Frisk said, tears forming in her eyes.

Gyftrot gave out a deep sigh.

"Not this time kiddo," he said, his eyes beginning to daze. "Not… not this time."

The eyes of the creature became sleepy and he now stared up at her in a way like he didn't even see her anymore.

"Mister?" Frisk asked. "Are you still there?"

His breathing became very calm. After a few seconds, it was almost as if he was asleep with eyes open.

"... mister?" Frisk asked worryingly.

He gave out one feeble breath before he turned abruptly silent, his eyes now staring up at the girl while his body made not a single stir or sound. Then, he began to dissipate, and before Frisk could react, the air and ground were covered in swirling dust that moved softly in the breeze.

* * *

Author's note:

So a few days late from my not-so-promised release date, so it's here whatever.

This is a very somber chamber, featuring what is, in my opinion, my favorite scene so far. I'm honestly not really sure if the bottle will come into play, as Gyftrot giving it to Frisk was a last-minute addition, but hey, maybe I'll find some way to squeeze some relevance of it sooner or later.

I honestly don't have much else to say that I haven't said a million times already, except that I found this chapter surprisingly difficult to write. Maybe because the stress of school is growing on me, but fuck it. I am really enjoying writing this fic and seeing all the comments and support, and I am not gonna quit any time close.

I am determined to finish this story, and all my other, non-fanfiction stories I've been planning.

Speaking of which, I am about halfway done with my short, original, fantasy horror story set in a world of my making. Of course, I'm technically not really about halfway done since I've yet to run over it and share it with a bunch of other writers who'll give me notes and such, but I am certain I will be done with it before new years eve 2020.

But I also said in my last update that I would've been most likely be done with this chapter last weekend* so yeah. Anything can happen.

*I mean it was only a few days delay so it's not much to judge about.


	15. The Forest FINAL

**The Forest FINAL**

Frisk was now once again walking in silence through the cold and dreary forest. Half an hour had passed since the strange old creature died in her arms and his dust and previously tangled garbage flew the windy air. Flowey then spent a good few, dreadful but quiet minutes cleaning the dust that fell on Frisk. Even if she managed to perfectly guise herself as a monster, Flowey pointed out that it was perhaps not a good idea to be wandering around covered in monster dust. Frisk didn't find herself able to care as she just stood there silently and partly shook, absorbing what had just occurred.

These minutes felt like hours for her, with so many dark and bleak thoughts filling her mind at the time. Then she looked at the dust on her hands, the one that used to be a living, breathing creature just a few minutes ago, and began to think about how some people and monsters die alone without no-one ever noticing or caring. If not for her, this creature, Gyftrot, would've. Was such a common occurrence here in this strange new world? How many people, or even monsters, died in secret and yet the world kept turning? Those thoughts led to other thoughts about mortality, her own or currently lack thereof, and then she wondered whether the timelines or universes where she died didn't get erased, but rather branched off, so she may have permanently died in the ruins after that long fall in the ancient city, or when she stabbed herself in her own throat back by the stone door, and the surface world would never know her true fate..

These dark ponderings and many more kept flowing even when she had wandered far from the dusty grave of the old monster, like a constantly splitting stream where all paths flowed to misery. Flowey noticed her unease after about a half an hour of silence. It was subtle, but it was impossible for him to miss since he knew what had just happened. He sighed. Not because he was annoyed at her for feeling awful, or because he expected her to behave differently, rather because a part of him, even if it was a small, minuscule source of empathy, knew her feeling. And he hated being reminded of it.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Frisk," Flowey said to her. "There was no way we could've saved that guy."

"I-I just can't stop feeling if I missed something," Frisk said. "Like, maybe there was something I could've done differently to save him. Called someone or… or maybe..."

She stopped herself mid-sentence. Every choice, every possibility she tried to think of, she couldn't find any that didn't involve her having to go back much, much further than her last point. As much as she hated to admit it, Frisk found herself agreeing with Flowey.

She found herself now mentally exhausted and sat down on a nearby rock on the road.

"You're right," she said, staring at the ground. "There was nothing I could've done. And I know that that means I should just move on so to speak but… I still can't help but feel awful y'know? It really fucking sucks."

"I know," Flowey said. "I know how that feels, trust me."

Frisk went quiet as she gathered her thoughts. Then she gave out a deep, sad sigh.

"When I woke up yesterday," she began. "Hell, even after I fell down that hole, I literally did not expect that just a few hours later I would learn that actual monsters, magic and souls, things that should belong in fantasy, are real, and then in just a span of a single day I would see 2- I mean 3 people, for lack of a better word, die right in front of me, if ever. One by my own hands even. God. I'm 16 years old and I've already killed someone. I mean yeah, yeah, that technically didn't happen any more but...y' know."

She gave out another sigh.

"Now, here I am," she continued. "Scared, cold and confused while stuck in the middle of goddamn Wonderland while some guy I've never met or even seen before possibly wants to take me and maybe kill me. And then there's my power that I still don't understand. I've even died twice now and… it's all just too much ok? I've just…"

Frisk then put her hands on her head as she stared exhaustingly at the ground.

"I'm not made for this shit," she muttered.

At the moment, Frisk found herself no longer thinking or caring. She barely even cared when she felt a slight stirring in her backpack, followed by the soft sensation of a flowery vine moving slowly against her cheek.

"Y'know," Flowey began. "I know what I'm supposed to do now, but I just like to start by saying I'm not really great at all in doing these "comforting" things. Heck, I may not have even done one as far as I can remember. Not to mention, I believe I literally lack some emotions everyone else has."

He waited for a second, seemingly expecting a cheeky response from the girl, but she instead said nothing. So he continued.

"But," Flowey began. "Even with that said and while my memory is admittedly terrible and full of random holes, I can honestly say I know what you're going through. Truly. Of all the things I've forgotten, all the possible joyful moments I have had that have vanished deep within my memory back, somehow that feeling, the feeling of powerlessness, is one of the things that stayed. I mean, I felt that way during my years-long coma unsurprisingly so that might be why it stuck so hard, while other things I wished for have long gone deep into my memory storage. Anyway, the point I'm making is… I agree. It really does suck. When I had the same time-binding powers as you do now, I had to eventually accept that while I could do so many things with it, I was not omnipotent, in that there were still so much I couldn't do. It took me years to realize that even with the power to literally undo your mistakes, you're not really a god after all. But… that's just life ain't it? Even the most powerful monsters or magicians can't control everything. And while we would all love to be able to, the fact is we can't. No one can. So in a way, once you find the limit, I think is the moment where you find out you can make the most of yourself. In other words, I honestly believe that the best we can do once we hit the impossible wall is to just go with it. If we can't cross the stream, then we might as well just go with the flow and see where it takes us. Or something like that."

Frisk turned to look at Flowey partly in shock. She felt at the moment like he was a completely different flower from the one she awoke in the ruins just a few hours ago, the one who snarkily didn't care when she accidentally killed the old man. It was if he was replaced sometime in the past hour without her noticing

But either way, she didn't care. His words caused a small weight to be lifted from her heart, only slightly but it was enough so that she found herself smiling again.

"Thanks, Flowey," Frisk said. "It's not much, but… thanks for the effort. I think I needed something like that."

"Well I tried to do my best," Flowey said. "Like I said. It was my first time."

"Heh, for a supposed first time that wasn't too bad," Frisk said and chuckled. "Could've maybe made a few changes here and there but… its the thought that counts at least."

She became quiet and her smile faded slowly.

"I… think I should apologize," she said.

"For what?" Flowey asked as if she just grew ten feet.

"Well I… kinda thought you were an asshole at first," Frisk admitted. "And I… may or may not have been considering tossing you away earlier."

"Really now?" Flowey asked, sounding even more surprised, yet slightly amused at the same time.

"I only considered it for a moment," Frisk quickly said. "Still, it just goes to show you that I maybe shouldn't have judged you so early after all after all."

"Oh no, honestly you weren't wrong," Flowey said. "At first that is. I was admittedly… kind of an ass."

Frisk smiled softly.

"Yeah you are," she said half-jokingly. "You may be an ass, but... you're not that bad actually. Turns out, you're kinda nice actually."

Just as Frisk finished that last sentence, there came what looked like a sudden and terrible shock to Flowey. He glared at her, with what looked like a heartbroken expression, almost as if she had just triggered a terrible memory from his past.

"Flowey, what's wrong?" Frisk asked worryingly.

He suddenly turned his head away from her like he couldn't bear to be in her presence anymore.

"I… I…" was all he muttered while sounding like he was utterly traumatized.

"Did I say something bad or…" Frisk began, feeling somewhat scared. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

Flowey didn't reply.

"Alright, maybe it's not my place to ask," Frisk said. "I mean, sure we only met like this morning and-"

Suddenly, as if he was possessed by some devil, Flowey suddenly and incredibly quickly turned back his head in a complete half-circle and his usual smug face was now instead replaced by pitch-black eye sockets and a terrifying visage that seemed to express pure hatred and evil.

"That's right, you don't know me!" he hissed with utter fury in his voice. "You don't know me one bit!"

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Frisk exclaimed and fell off the rock.

At that moment, all the blackness and evil in the flowers face suddenly faded away, and he stared at the girl with the biggest face of sorrow and regret Frisk had ever seen like he had turned a tearful little lamb.

"I-I'm sorry, he quickly said. "I- I'm so sorry."

"You better be," Frisk said as she slowly rose back up from the snow. "What the fuck was that?!"

"I… I…" Flowey muttered as if he tried to find an excuse. "It's just that…"

Frisk sighed.

"Look, man," she began. "If you don't want to talk about it now, that's fine. We all have things we don't want to share, god knows I have a lot, and as you said, I don't even know you. But Jesus you really didn't have to pull that shit. Let's just agree that we both have secrets we would rather not share, ok? If you don't want to talk about it, then that's that."

Flowey became quiet for a good few moments as if he was thinking something.

"Alright," he then said. "Let's just agree that this never happened."

"Deal," Frisk said.

They looked away from each other, into no particular direction, and the air became filled with silence again. It felt a bit awkward at the moment, but to Frisk, it made her feel slightly uneasy.

"Well now," Flowey said as if he read her mind and decided to break it. "That could've gone better. I'm guessing this is the first and last time I attempt the comforting business again."

Frisk lightly snorted and smiled.

"Alright, let's keep going now," she said.

"Oh yeah lets," Flowey said.

They had only walked for a few more minutes when Flowey suddenly became agitated.

" _Stop_ ," he whispered.

Frisk immediately followed his command and became very still.

" _What?_ " Frisk whispered back.

" _Do you hear that?_ " Flowey asked as he looked around.

Frisk stood awhile and listened. She now did indeed hear something. It was a bit faint, but in the immense quiet of the wood, it might as well have been as loud as a storm. It sounded as if somewhere in behind the trees, there was a hint of chatter.

" _Yeah, I think I hear it_ ," Frisk confirmed. " _Sounds like people talking right?_ "

" _Exactly_ ," Flowey said.

" _Wait, could we be finally close to that town, umm, Snowing or whatever it's called?_ " Frisk asked.

" _Snowdin, and no, I don't think so,_ " Flowey answered. " _Because if my memory serves correct, which it honestly might not but I am sure of it this time, there should be a hill and a bridge that connects to it, and so far we've seen no hill or bridge_."

He slowly extended his neck vine towards Frisk and smiled cheekily.

" _Should we go check it out?_ " he asked.

Frisk snorted lightly in surprise.

" _You seem suddenly interested in this?_ " she replied suspiciously. " _Not like worried about any danger or anything this time?_ "

" _You scored well two out of two so far_ ," Flowey said. " _You're not quitting this curiosity game now are you_."

" _Of course not,_ " Frisk said and smiled. " _I mean, if it's finally something bad then I still I have a best two out of three points_."

Flowey out of the sudden looked as if he had a silly realization.

" _Hang on, did we just make a game out of this_?" he asked.

" _I think we did, yeah,_ " Frisk said, with the same tone of realization.

" _Alright,_ " Flowey said and his grin widened. " _Then let's continue playing_."

With that said, Frisk headed off the road again and trod through the snow and trees. The snow wasn't that deep thankfully enough, so the biggest obstacle was the thick trees and branches. After a while, the voices became more audible.

" _Gotta say, that innkeepers bun wasn't as good as I remembered_ ," one male voice said.

" _Yeah, it tasted almost as bad as Jerry's asshole, HAH!_ " said another, smugger sounding voice.

" _You've tasted Jerry's asshole_?" asked a third male voice.

" _What!?_ " replied the smug sounding voice. " _No, I- hey stop laughing guys it's not funny!_ "

"Sounds like they're having fun," Frisk said softly as she closed in on the chatter.

She could now see a bright, orange light through the foliage. After a few more steps, she thought it was very clear what this source of light was.

 _A campfire_ , she thought. _Must be. But if so, who would be camping here so deep in the forest? And why?_

Her suspicions were confirmed as she moved through the next branch. In front of her now was, in fact, an average-sized campfire, only slightly larger than the one in the old camp with the fat skeleton, and with clearly much more effort put into this one.

Around the campfire were what looked like four strange bird creatures, clearly clueless about her presence and Flowey's presence. They were unusually large for birds, with the smallest one being just about the size of her backpack, while the tallest seemed to be about as tall as Frisk herself. The four of them seemed to be three separate species, with two of them being very similar-looking besides the different coloured feathers.

The smallest of the bird creature, the one who also happened to be the farthest from where Frisk was standing, looked a bit like a snowman with an oversized head, much larger than its body. How the entire body could even support that weight, Frisk had no rational solution for, so she just assumed it was magic. The body was white and plain-looking, and it's thick, seemingly fingerless limbs reminded Frisk very much of old school teddybears. On the large head were two white dots resembling eyes of a penguin, just much paler, and in the centre was what Frisk assumed was a long, yellow beak. Finally, on top of its head was perhaps the most noticeable part of its strange design, a large, crown-like structure that appeared to be made of solid ice. It took Frisk a moment to notice that it wasn't a part of its body, but rather a strange ice hat of some kind.

To the right of that creature, or rather left from where Frisk was standing, were the two similar-looking birds, sitting side by side. Both of them were very large, both in height and width, almost reminding Frisk of penguins like the first creature. But they both were clearly much closer to ostriches or chickens that had somehow grown to human size. Their bodies were covered in thick feathers except on their distinct yellow underbelly, and their large heads were looked to resemble snowflake patterns, with white lines expanding from each corner and meeting in the centre where a large, yellow beak was formed. They also both had two yellow eyes that faced the front rather than the side like most birds on earth, and their avian look was complete with yellow chicken legs standing out beneath them.

The most noticeable difference between the two of them, besides their outfits or lack thereof, was their colour schemes, with the one sitting beside the small, ice hat-wearing bird being cyan coloured and the other one being sea-green, and wearing what looked broken, oversized sunglasses on his beak.

Last but not least, was the tall, skinny bird closest to Frisk. For some reason, it sat much further from the other two, with its back just a few feet away from Frisk. Frisk found hard to gain much from it, as heavy foliage hid most of its features so she could only guess from silhouettes. From what she could see, that one was much more humanoid than the others, with rough and very dirty feathers, and it also seemed to be the only one who wore any proper clothes on the rest of his body and not just on its head. That was the only thing Frisk could manage from that particular one as she hid in the foliage to hide from the sight of the clueless birds, and she wasn't even sure if that particular one was even a bird after all.

These four monsters were all casually chatting, about nothing major from what Frisk could gather. Their subjects and way of speaking, in fact, reminded her incredibly much of her classmates from back home.

" _Ahh, teenagers_ ," Flowey whispered as he examined them. " _Looks like we found your people Frisk._ "

" _Oh haha_ ," Frisk replied in a whisper as well. " _You're the one speaking. Didn't you say earlier today that you are a teen as well?_ "

" _Yeah I technically am, but try telling these guys that that_ ," Flowey answered.

" _Ok I think I get that, somewhat_ ," Frisk replied. " _So any idea what they are doing here anyway?_ "

" _I can't tell you_ ," Flowey answered.

" _Hmm, figures_ ," Frisk said.

" _Oh it's not because of missing memories this time_ ," Flowey said. " _I think so at least. From what I remember, I have never seen teenagers hang out like this in the middle of the woods._ "

" _Whatever the case, I'm gonna go take a better look_ ," Frisk said.

She slowly stood up and began to creep to her right.

" _Ok it goes without saying but be careful_ ," Flowey said. " _We still don't know what they're-_ "

Without looking, Frisk had stepped on a small twine and a distinct crack echoed through the campfire, causing all the birds to immediately stop their chatter.

"What was that?" the cyan coloured, snow-flake patterned bird said with a startle.

" _Oh shit_ ," Frisk whispered and quickly ducked into a nearby bush.

"I- I think it came from there," the one with the ice cap said in a soft, male voice.

He pointed with his fingerless hand in the direction of the bush where Frisk was now hiding.

"Oh must be that old Gyftrot guy again," said a smug sounding male voice.

Frisk didn't see who of the group said that, but she assumed it was that bird monster she couldn't see clearly.

"That old geezer?" The cyan coloured said. "What does he want this time?"

"Hey are you spying on us?!" the green bird with the sunglasses yelled at Frisk's direction, clearly trying to sound tough.

 _Crap_ , Frisk thought. _Crap, crap, crap_.

" _What should I_ -" she began.

" _Shhh!_ " hushed Flowey.

"I heard that!" the green bird yelled. "Show yourself!"

 _Crap_ , Frisk thought. _Guess I've got no choice_.

Feeling defeated, she slowly stood up from the bush and revealed herself.

" _Frisk, what are you-_ " Flowey began.

She didn't listen to him, and now she stood in the open while all the birds looked at her direction with interest and suspicions, including the tall one that was previously hidden. Now that he was turned around, Frisk could see that his dirty, rough feathers were cobalt blue and his beak was yellow like a chicken. His black, strangely human-like eyes were behind broken, plain-looking glasses, and to complete his somewhat nerdy look, he was also dressed in a white and short-sleeved, bottom-down shirt alongside a plain black, t-shirt underneath.

That bird looked at her with a bit of an analytical expression that shewed a clear hint of smugness, yet he somehow looked like he also cared the least in her out of the four around him. The large cyan coloured one with a head like a snowflake didn't seem to mind her either while the green twin beside him with the broken sunglasses, Frisk found hard to read. The dwarf-sized one with the strange ice hat, on the other hand, seemed surprisingly the most interested in her.

"Uhhh, hi?" Frisk said awkwardly and raised one hand.

"Who the hell are you?" the green bird asked her.

"I'm Frisk and this is my, uh, friend Flowey," she said and pointed to her companion dangling from her backpack.

Flowey turned to her, slightly surprised and amused by her choice of words.

"Hang on," the small one with the ice-cap said while looking straight at Frisk. "I know what you are."

 _Uh oh_ , Frisk thought.

She could feel Flowey stir in her backpack as if he was preparing for her to book it. Frisk was now even starting to seriously consider that idea. But only for a moment, as that idea faded once the strange, small bird continued speaking.

"You're an ape monster," he said. "What the hell are you doing all the way up here, and so deep in the woods."

 _Oh thank god,_ Frisk thought and softly breathed in relief.

"More importantly," the cyan one began. "What were you doing hiding there? Did an adult send you? Because if so, we are not going back to town."

"No, it's nothing like that," Frisk said. "We were just travelling nearby, and then we heard you talking and became curious. That's all, I swear."

The four avian creatures looked at each other in unison.

"Alright, I guess that sounds fair," the green one with the sunglasses said.

"I told you guys we should've kept it down," the cyan one said.

"Oh, how were we supposed to know that tourists just happened to be walking by at this hour?" the green one replied to him.

"I personally think we should give these guys a chance," the small one with an ice hat said and turned towards Frisk. "Hey, why won't you join us? We've got some space."

"Uhh, what?" Frisk replied in shock.

She didn't expect that invitation and felt incredibly pulled back.

"Yeah it's been nothing short of a sausage fest here for a while now," the tall, blue one said and smirked. "Would nice to have a few… buns here as well, eh?"

"Oh, c'mon Berdly, don't be like that," the green one with broken sunglasses said and then turned towards Frisk. "Yeah, what Ice-Cap said, you can sit down with us, we don't mind."

"I mean… you don't have to," the one called Ice-Cap added. "I was just suggesting that and uhh-"

"No, no, it's no problem," Frisk quickly said. "We're not in a hurry or anything so I guess I can join you for a while."

Without even checking on Flowey, she pushed through the thick bush and headed towards the campfire.

" _Aww, you called me your friend,_ " Flowey whispered sarcastically into her ear. " _How sweet_."

" _Yeah yeah_ ," Frisk muttered back.

She sat down between the large, cyan bird and the dwarf-sized creature with the ice cap, who on closer inspection, didn't look much like a bird up close. He, in fact, looked much closer to a snowman built to imitate a bird.

The green one with the broken sunglasses seemed like a leader of the group, so it was fitting that he was the first to speak now.

"So for starters," he began. "You can call me Chilldrake, and these are my roommates. Sort of. That jerk over there is Berdly."

He pointed with his winged hand towards the skinny blue one, who raised his hands as if to wave. He even managed to somehow make that simple act of raising his hand seem smug.

"That guy over there we call Ice-Cap, because he, well wears an ice cap," Chilldrake said and pointed to the dwarfish, snowman looking one besides Frisk.

"Hi," that one said courteously before suddenly turning a bit serious. "Don't touch my hat though. It's mine and I really like it."

"Right…" Frisk replied.

"And this," Chilldrake continued and patted the back of the cyan bird between Frisk and himself. "Is my pal Snowdrake, and before you ask, no we are not related."

"Ahh, Snowdrake," Frisk said and snorted. "I get it."

"Get what?" the cyan, snowflake headed bird asked, sounding genuinely confused. "What's so weird about my name Snow-"

Suddenly, his eyes lit up like a Christmas ornament as his expression turned into shock.

"Oh my gods," he said, sounding shocked and mildly insulted. "My friggin name is a pun!"

All the other boys suddenly burst into laughter, and Frisk found herself feeling a bit of confusion. Then, without being able to help it, she found herself beginning to chuckle a bit as well.

"Hey stop that!" Snowdrake commanded. "It's not funny."

"You're… you're only figuring it out now?" Berdly asked amidst his glee.

"Wait, you guys knew?!" Chilldrake asked in frustration. "Why the hell didn't you guys tell me before!"

That just made the group laugh harder, and Frisk now finally properly joined inn. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed so hard among a group of people, much less one in her age group. She heard even Flowey snicker a bit behind her, but Frisk didn't pay much attention to that in the middle of the hysterics.

After a few seconds, the laughter finally faded.

"Ok, ok," Frisk began while she took a breath and smiled. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I just have the tendency to laugh at the worst moments."

"Nah it's fine," Snowdrake said as he stared melancholically on the ground. "It's fine."

"Look, man," Chilldrake began and laid his wing on Snowdrake's shoulder. "You know we didn't mean to hurt you. You're still the same bird we all know and love."

"Yeah, yeah," Snowdrake said and grew a short smile.

"Just goes to show you your parents truly had a sense of humour," Ice-Cap added.

The smile on Snowdrake's beak suddenly faded as quick as off a light bulb.

"Yeah they sure did," he said in a tone of sadness.

Frisk felt like a rainstorm was gathering overhead them. She knew these conversation moments very well and decided it was best to steer away from it, somehow, before this joyful feeling was completely extinguished.

"So umm… what are you guys doing here?" she asked them.

"Oh, we are just… _chilling_ like usual," Snowdrake said and smiled again.

"Out here in the woods?" Frisk asked. "I mean I'm pretty much new here so-"

"Wait, did none of you get my joke?" Snowdrake suddenly asked. "Seriously? Chilling? Y'know, because it's cold out here."

"Uhh, what?" Chilldrake said.

"Umm sorry Snowy," Ice-Cap began. "But I didn't even think any of us realized you were joking."

"Oh seriously?!" Snowdrake replied, mildly frustrated. "You and the newbies laugh at my misery but you don't think much about a proper, actual joke?"

"I got it," Berdly said.

"See?" Snowdrake said. "He has only half a brain but even he got it."

"Yeah, but it wasn't like funny," Berdly replied. "I got it, but it wasn't funny."

"Oh, c'mon man," Snowdrake exclaimed.

"Yeah and the fact that you explained it," Flowey suddenly added. "Which is like the number one sin in comedy, kind of did nothing but take away from it."

"Flowey, he's just trying to have fun," Frisk said, somewhat sternly.

"Well, then if he wants to be properly funny," Flowey began. "He should be able to take some critique in the least."

"What are you like the joke police now or something?" Frisk asked sarcastically. "Besides, I don't think he's really here for critique. Let's just agree to disagree about what's funny for now ok?"

Flowey looked at her, then at Snowdrake and then back at her. Eventually, he frowned and said:

"Fine, I'll shut up."

"Great," Frisk said.

"Oh thank you girl," Snowdrake said with relief.

She then turned towards Berdly.

"Oh and you too," she added.

"What are you, my mom or something?" the bluebird replied snarkily. "You ain't telling me what to feel or do."

"C'mon let's not make a deal out of this," Chilldrake said. "She's right. If we keep arguing, today is just gonna suck for everyone. We don't want to create another Jerry situation right?"

"Ugh, good point," Berdly said and frowned.

"Jerry situation?" Flowey asked with interest.

"Eh, it's a long story," Chilldrake answered.

"We have time," Frisk said. "Right Flowey?"

"Yeah, yeah," Flowey said.

"Umm, about that," Snowdrake began.

"Yeah, sorry but we kinda don't want to bring it up again," Chilldrake said with a hint of discomfort. "Kinda brings back bad memories."

"Oh," Frisk expressed. "Ok then, nevermind, I get that."

An awkward silence suddenly formed between the group. The type that forms when most of the people involved never properly developed their social skills. The only sound Frisk heard was the subtle crackling of the fireplace and the soft wind fluttering against the other kids' feathers. She decided that she should be the one to break the ice, as it felt like her job for the previous conversations she had in the past few days.

"Sooooo like I asked before," she began. "But what are you guys, well, doing here?"

"Well we live here," Ice-cap answered.

"Why do you care?" Berdly asked rudely.

"I'm just curious," Frisk said. "I mean, I see no adults or teachers around- wait. Did you just say you live here?!"

"Uh-huh," Ice-Cap confirmed.

Frisk looked at him in disbelief and then smirked.

"What, so is this like a Lost Boys situation or something?" she asked.

The four creatures looked at her confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chilldrake asked in confusion.

"Yeah, we're not lost, I think," Snowdrake added.

"No that's not what I meant," Frisk said. "Nevermind. Why did I think you would get that reference?"

"What reference?" Snowdrake asked.

"Uhhh," Frisk began awkwardly. "It's nothing. Just a thing from… Peter Pan. A famous… story… from where I am from. Apetown that is. Obviously. Because I'm an ape monster. Where else?"

"Ohh, can you maybe tell us?" Ice-Cap suddenly asked. "I kind of have an interest in folktales. Especially foreign monster stories."

 _Oh fuck_ , Frisk thought anxiously. _Why did this group of teens just happen to have a fairy tale nerd?_

"Ok umm, listen," Frisk began nervously. "I ain't gonna tell you the whole story, otherwise we'll be here all day. It's a long one. Let's just say that a part of it involves a group of boys who umm, call themselves The Lost Boys and they uhh…they live in the woods I guess. Away from parents and civilization. Sorry, it's been a while since I saw- I mean heard the story, yeah."

The group of teenage monsters looked at each other as if they all simultaneously got the same idea.

"Looks like we found our name boys," Berdly said.

"The Lost Boys?" Chilldrake repeated. "Gotta say, it has a nice ring to it."

"Shouldn't we umm… call ourselves The Lost _Kids_ rather?" Ice-Cap asked. "Since we are not… only boys anymore that is."

"What?!" Frisk exclaimed. "No, no, no, sorry. I think you guys are getting some mixed messages because I'm not gonna live with you."

"I-I didn't mean that way, sorry," Ice-Cap said quickly and with a tone of regret. "I just meant… like a group of friends or something. If you don't like us or anything-"

"It's not that I don't like you," Frisk interrupted. "It's just… I've got some places to be. People to meet, crap like that. Sorry. I didn't mean to come across as rude."

"Oh ok," Ice-Cap said in a surprisingly sombre tone.

"Hey speaking of which," Flowey began. "Where are your parents? Shouldn't they be worried about you guys? Being all on your own here?"

All the teens suddenly turned dreadfully silent and they all took on a sad expression.

"Ummm…" Flowey stammered, sounding awkward and slightly disturbed. "Did I say something wrong or…?"

"No," Ice-Cap said. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Frisk asked.

She was beginning to feel slightly disturbed as well.

Then after a short awkward silence, Chilldrake stepped in and said in a melancholy tone:

"We are… orphans."

Frisk felt complete discomfort drown the air around her. She stared in disbelief at the group of teenagers, waiting for another burst of laughter to follow, and if not, then at least some punchline of sorts.

"All of you?" she asked with slight disbelief.

"Uh, huh," Ice-cap confirmed sadly.

"Are you really surprised?" Berdly said. "War makes orphans y' know?"

"Wait, what?!" Frisk asked with a much clearer tone of surprise. "There's a war going on down here?!"

She was beginning to feel that every single time she asked a question about this world, at least two more questions would appear like the head of a hydra. She turned towards Flowey as if she was expecting an answer, but just a saw a similar hint of confusion in his expression.

"Wow you ape monsters are really isolated from the rest of the underground huh," Berdly said, somehow sounding both surprised and smug at the same time.

"There _was_ a war rather," answered Chilldrake. "It ended about 15 years ago actually before most of our parents even died. Dunno why he thinks it's at all relevant."

"Uhh, are you dumb?" Berdly said. "It's not over yet just because they say so, especially if one side is still fighting."

"Yeah, but the rebellion, even if it still exists, is so small and insignificant to have any effect at this point," Chilldrake said. "Besides, most people don't give a shit about it anymore."

"So in other words, it doesn't count because you say so?" Berdly asked smugly.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Chilldrake said harshly.

"Maybe," Berdly replied, still with a hint of smugness. "But, either way, my old point is actually not that far fetched if you think about it. War costs money, and lack of money leads to poverty, which leads to crime and famine and those things lead to death, such as most of our parents' death. See? It's a long road, but simple."

"It sounds more like you are saying that war leads to poor people," Snowdrake added.

"Yes and that leads to more death," Berdly said, sounding almost insulted. "Are you really that dimwitted? It's not supposed to be hard to piece it together."

"I dunno," Snowdrake said. "I've known and heard of a lot of monsters who managed just fine being poor without ending up dead or criminals."

"Well those are mostly the exception obviously," Berdly said. "Besides I'm mostly talking about the underground in general as not everyone is as lucky to be born in the capital as you, where what counts as being poor is still someone owning a two-storied house with an acceptable income."

"You've never been to the capital, you are just pulling stuff from your ass!" Chilldrake said, almost yelling.

"Maybe, but at least it's all based on facts rather than guesses," Berdly said smugly.

"Guys, guys," Ice-cap said. "C'mon, stop this. Let's save this arguing for later ok? You're making our guest uncomfortable."

"Frankly, I just literally have no idea what's happening or what you guys are even talking about anymore," Frisk admitted.

It was true what she said, at least. Words and concepts like _war_ , _rebellion_ and _the capital_ were just casually dumped on her already confused brain like a scrambled alphabet soup. All these new pieces of information did was add more questions to her already unclear view of this strange, new world.

"Me neither," Flowey added.

There was a subtle but unmistakable tone of confusion in his voice.

 _Well, if he's lost then that feels kinda validating_ , Frisk thought.

"Alright," Snowdrake began, sounding as if he was giving a presentation. "So in short, about 15 years ago, war broke out all over the underground. Basically, it broke out because almost everyone became unhappy with the current state of things and the king complete silence regarding everything, so many decided to finally take to arms and revolt. So, there was the kingdom's side, being King Asgore and his knights, versus a makeshift army of rebels, mostly consisting of farmers or city folk."

"You forgot to mention what happened with the queen," Berdly added.

"Dude, I'm trying to be as concise as I can for these newbies," Snowdrake said to him. "I ain't going over every detail."

"No, please tell us about the queen!" Flowey quickly said with unusual urgency in his voice.

"Uhh fine then," Snowdrake said, clearly taken aback by it.

Frisk also felt like there was something odd about his reaction. She almost felt like he was hiding something.

"Ok, so before the war," Snowdrake continued. "And before the king, well, became isolated and... crazy, the queen, who had been missing for decades mind you, suddenly returned one day. I'm not gonna go into why she was away or even why she came back. It's not really important in this context. Bottom line, she came back after a long time which was a huge deal… and then she apparently died a few days later."

"Oh," Flowey expressed.

Frisk felt a surprising hint of shock and disappointment in his voice. There was even some sadness, though she didn't think much of it at this moment.

"How did she die?" Frisk curiously asked Snowdrake.

"Well-"

"The king killed her," Berdly answered before Snowdrake. "Impaled her with his fork is what I've heard."

"That's just a theory Berdly," Chilldrake said sternly to him.

"I heard she committed suicide," Ice-Cap added.

"And I've heard she's somehow still alive," Snowdrake said. "Point is, no one knows what exactly happened during the time she came back and when she died, except for the king of course. As far as we and the public know, she's dead. There was even held a funeral and everything. After that, everything went to shit so to speak. The king became isolated and depressed and sometime after that he just officially cracked. Then there came a war and everything got worse. The economy drained, monsters lost their homes, etcetera. Yes, it was a real mess. Then the king locked himself up even more and very few have seen him ever since."

Frisk sat there for a moment as she absorbed it all. She felt a bit more satisfied now. Finally, she had some clear answers about this world and history.

"Hmm, interesting," Flowey added.

Frisk noticed that there was something about his tone that sparked interest, yet confusion. Like the type where you notice a contradiction in someone's testimony, or where you hear a different point of view from yours that makes you rethink what you've learned.

"I was too young to experience most of this by the way," Snowdrake said. "So a bunch of what I've said is just what I remember in history classes, and read online."

"Don't worry, it was good enough," Frisk said. "Thanks, I kinda get more of what's going on- wait. Read online?"

"Uhh," Snowdrake began. "Oh, yeah. You Ape monsters probably don't have internet where you are from."

 _They have their own frigging internet down here?_ Frisk thought.

"Erm," Snowdrake began. "So… it's this giant database thingy. Sorry I am not really good at explaining that shit. Berdly?"

"Yeah like he said," the bluebird began. "In short, it's an invisible giant database filled with a bunch of information. The word online, that Snowy here used, is basically a synonym for the Internet."

Frisk felt a bit of panic growing in her. For a moment, she almost blew her cover. Hearing that this strange, magical kingdom with talking animals and monsters has its own version of the internet completely threw her off track. But if she showed any knowledge of the internet, Frisk was sure they would catch on to it. She knew she had to play dumb.

"Umm… this internet… sounds fascinating," she began. "Umm, how do I… umm, where do I go to this… internet?"

 _God, that might've been too dumb_ , Frisk thought. _Oh please work. Please work._

"Oh, it's not a physical place," Berdly began. "How do I explain it? Well, it's a thing you can access with your phone and stuff. You know what a phone is right?"

"Uhh," Frisk began, trying to keep up her clueless facade as best she could. "What's a-"

"You have a phone, don't you Frisk?" Flowey said behind her.

 _Goddammit Flowey_ , Frisk thought.

"Uhh yeah, yeah I have," she said and pulled it out of her pocket and showed the group.

"So you ape monsters have phones but not the internet?" Berdly asked with a confused look.

 _Crap, what do I say now?_ Frisk thought. _They're right. A bunch of out there Amish people shouldn't have phones._

"Uhh, no I got it from someone recently," she lied and put the phone back in her pocket. "Right Flowey?"

She turned her head towards the flower and shewed not-so-subtle signs on her expression for him to play along.

"Right?" she asked him again.

"Uhh, yeah," Flowey said, slightly confused. "Yeah, there was this old guy we were… staying at. And he had a spare phone he gave her."

"Giving out free phones in this frigging economy?" Ice-Cap asked with interest. "Where the hell was he?"

"Uhh, somewhere near Apetown," Flowey said. "It was also his last phone and only other phone… and it's not that good. Heck, as she said, it doesn't have the frigging internet heh."

The group looked at Frisk and Flowey, and Frisk couldn't tell but hoped to god that they didn't turn suspicious of her. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case.

"Sounds like he ripped you off," Chilldrake said and shrugged.

"Yeah, was that guy like super old or something?" Ice-Cap asked.

"Oh definitely," Flowey said. "Like, he must've been like a few hundred at least."

 _Damn Flowey,_ Frisk thought, feeling great relief. _Turns out you're actually a decent liar after all._

"Anyway, let's change the subject a bit," Flowey said. "Let's talk about something we can all understand, and not this… internet jargon. We are confusing this girl over here. Don't want her to be left out, do we."

"Yeah, good point," Snowdrake said.

"I was actually thinking the same thing," Ice-cap added.

"So if I'm getting this right, the four of you have just been living here alone in the woods for years?" Flowey asked the group.

"Pretty much," Snowdrake said.

"Well, we used to be five actually," Ice-cap said. "There was this one other guy, Jerry, but he's gone now."

"Oh," Frisk said sympathetically. "Well, I'm sorry for your loss,"

"Oh he's not dead or anything," Snowdrake said. "We think. He just left is all."

"Yeah he said he couldn't handle our "hippie lifestyle" and ditched himself a few weeks back," Chilldrake added.

"I don't think anyone of us really misses him though," Berdly said. "Guy was an utter twat."

"Yeah, if anything, I'm glad he's gone," Snowdrake added and smiled.

"S-seriously?" Frisk exclaimed, utterly baffled at their reaction and casualness. "Aren't you guys worried about him even one bit?! That guy could be dead for all you know!"

"Nah, we're sure he's fine," Chilldrake said. "Jerry is a… well to be honest none of us know what the hell kind of monster he is exactly. But he's super tough. Like his skin is almost impenetrable."

"Yeah you'll have to throw a whole dictionary at him just to give him a papercut," Snowdrake added and chuckled.

"You know why?" Berdly said and sniggered. "It's because he's so dense."

"Heh, and not to mention, he can survive over a year without eating," Chilldrake said. "Still, he ate much of our stuff anyway just because he felt like it."

"Hmm, either way, it sounds like you have a pretty boring lifestyle," Flowey said. "No offence of course."

"Well, it's not that bad," Ice-cap said. "Of course I still miss the constant warmth and sleeping in bed. And pizza of course. In fact, just having a bunch of food in general."

"So why won't you just… go back to town?" Frisk asked. "I'm sure some, uhh, people would be willing to give you shelter."

The four birds stared at her for a while, thinking, before Berdly shook his head, seemingly in embarrassment.

"Oh you're clearly not from around here," he said. "Because I don't think anyone bothers caring about us."

"Yeah, and it's not like it's much better in Snowdin than out here," Snowdrake said. "Last I heard, some bunny lady had to sell her whole family heirloom just to not starve for a few more months."

"And also, fuck adults," Chilldrake said. "And fuck the orphanage. You have literally no idea how bad it was back there."

"Oh yeah fuck that," Frisk agreed. "God, orphanages are the worst."

She felt a wicked, but clear joy spark within her. Finally, she thought. Some other teens she could relate to.

"We are doing much better down here," Chilldrake added. "Despite everything, at least we are not in the dirty little orphanage where it's pretty much the same as here, except much more fucking strict. Like we couldn't even have a snack without someone keeping guard since the cameras were all broken. Down here we have no rules and freedom to do whatever we want, and if we need food we'll just sneak to some old farmers or townsfolk and take a little."

"Yeah we have some, bad stories from the orphanage," Ice-Cap added.

"It practically had no budget," Berdly added. "Barely had a roof either, so we could have just as well been here in the woods."

"Not to mention, the owner was kinda abusive," Snowdrake said. "Never like beat us or anything, but man he was great at making us feel guilty for nothing."

"To be fair, I don't think he ever meant to," Ice-Cap added. "Not to excuse him or anything. He was just a shit caretaker."

"Sure, but that just makes it worse in my opinion," Snowdrake said. "Not to mention, the food was barely edible. When we got it, that is. Yeah, that's right, some days we just didn't get any food."

Frisk stopped smiling. After hearing their tales and descriptions, she felt a tinge of guilt for comparing her life to theirs. In fact, those teens would've most likely killed for her childhood. She knew that maybe she shouldn't feel that way, but at the same time, she couldn't help it.

"Yeah, I think Jerry's gone all the way back there," Ice-Cap said. "Or if not, then he's probably living with old mister Gyftrot now or something."

"Nah, I doubt it," Chilldrake said. "That grumpy old fart doesn't like us in the least, so what chance does Jerry have?"

"Wait, did you say Gyftrot?" Frisk began.

 _They truly have no idea_ , she thought.

"Yeah, you know that twat?" Snowdrake asked her.

"Kinda," Frisk said somberly. "I… uh, met him a while back."

"He was a real prick wasn't he?" Berdly asked and grinned and turned towards the group. "Hey, remember when we snuck into his house and covered his horn in some garbage?"

"Oh, I remember," Chilldrake said and smiled. "Boy was he angry."

"I still kinda feel bad about that though," Ice-Cap said.

"Eh, you shouldn't," Chilldrake said. "He's a complete ass."

"He's dead," Flowey blurted out.

Complete silence now filled the campfire as all the creatures stopped smiling. It was like a magic spell had been cast that sucked out all the joy in the place.

"Oh," Chilldrake said. "That's… umm…"

"Shit man, how long ago was it?" Snowdrake asked.

"About a half an hour ago," Flowey said. "Maybe more or less."

"How did he die?" Ice-Cap asked somberly.

"He stepped on some… landmine or something," Frisk said. "When I met him, his entire leg was like… gone."

"A landmine?" Ice-Cap asked in a somewhat startled tone. "Out here in the woods?"

"That's what he said," Flowey added. "Supposedly left here by some guy called Mickey. You guys don't happen to know anything about him do ya?"

The entire group stared at them, all looking slightly surprised.

"Wow, you guys are really isolated," Berdly said after second of silence.

"Everyone's heard of Mickey," Chilldrake said. "He's kind of a big deal actually."

"Yeah, he's like the most famous warrior down here," Ice-Cap said. "If you guys know nothing about him, then yeah, you Ape monsters are REALLY isolated. Especially since Mickey is, well, supposedly one himself."

"Well, we've heard a few things about him," Frisk said.

"What do you mean by supposedly?" Flowey curiously asked Ice-Cap.

"Well umm, not much is known about him," Chilldrake answered instead. "Not many monsters outside the capital have managed to see him."

"I've seen him and I can confirm he's an ape," Snowdrake said. "He also had these weird, hairy tentacles on the back of his head. I assumed for a long time that was, well, the standard look for ape monsters, but apparently not."

"Uhh, yeah it's… not standard… amongst us," Frisk said nervously.

"Right," Berdly said, eyeing her somewhat suspiciously. "I've also seen him before. He used to come by Snowdin fairly often back then. Mostly with his lackeys."

"Lackeys?" Flowey asked.

"Oh right, you're apparently a bunch of hermits," Berdly said. "I'm talking about _The Royal Hunt_. You've must've heard of them at least. Mickey's their leader."

"Uhh, yeah I've heard of them before," Frisk said, thinking back to the warning from the fat skeleton. "I didn't know about their relationship to Mickey though."

"Hang on," Flowey suddenly said with a tone of realization. "I think I just remembered something. Yeah. Yeah! I think I've seen them before. A group of warriors, all with those creepy, blank human masks."

"Yeah, that's the one," Berdly said. "Seems like you guys know more than you're laying on."

"Oh, sorry, my friend's been around here longer than me," Frisk said. "He just has some strange amnesia so he sometimes has a lapse of memory."

"Hmm, alrighty then," Berdly said, still with a tone of suspicion.

"I personally don't know much about them," Chilldrake added. "Except for the things I've read online. But shit, leaving a mine around here just seems reckless, even for them."

"Yeah, things haven't been the same ever since King Asgore lost his marbles," Snowdrake said somberly. "Man, it was so long ago yet I can still remember when life was awesome down here. When Undyne and the Royal Guard was still around, and not this… hunt or whatever."

"I… think I can imagine," Frisk said. "That things used to be better that is."

Snowdrake and Ice-Cap stared melancholically at the warm fire, while Berdly and Chilldrake put on a thoughtful posture. No one spoke for a while, as if they were all mourning a time long passed.

"Y'know what?" Ice-cap suddenly began. "I still blame **Gaster**."

As soon as he said that, Frisk felt as if the whole world was suddenly collapsing. She couldn't for the life of her understand why, but that name, that one name he so casually mentioned suddenly sent Frisk's heart beating rapidly as if the mere mention of it dragged back echoes of old, forgotten horrors.

"Oh, here we go again with your dumb conspiracy theories," Berdly said to Ice-Cap.

" _Frisk are you ok?_ " Flowey whispered, sounding surprisingly worried.

"Who… who the hell is Gaster!" Frisk almost yelled.

The loudness of her tone shook every single monster around as they all back a bit and stared at her in shock.

"He's the uhh, Royal Scientist," Ice-Cap said after a while. "Shit girl, why were you so loud?"

"Yeah, Frisk" Flowey agreed, sounding surprised as well. "What the heck was that?"

Frisk found herself suddenly pushed back into reality and saw in front of her a group of bewildered monster teens and a confused flower stare back at her.

"Sorry, sorry!" Frisk exclaimed. "I'm really sorry about that, I… I have no idea what just came over me."

"Well if you really hate that guy," Ice-Cap began. "You are not the first. Just saying."

"It's not that," Frisk began. "It's just that… I've heard that name somewhere. Somewhere awful. Like from a nightmare."

"So why the hell did you yell it then?" Chilldrake said, adjusting his broken sunglasses that almost fell off during his shock.

"I- I don't know!" Frisk exclaimed. "I honestly don't know why I did that. It was like… instincts or something."

"Doesn't surprise me honestly," Snowdrake suddenly said. "The fact that you seem to have bad memories of him, not that you don't know why you yelled."

Frisk looked at him curiously. She found it strange to see him so sour, much more so than before.

"Why is that?" she asked him.

The cyan, snowflake headed bird sighed.

"I hate him," he began. "I absolutely hate him. He is… kind of the reason I'm here in the first place."

"Wh-what do you mean? Frisk asked.

He turned quiet for a while as he stared at the ground. His friends looked at him with clear sympathy, as if they had heard this story many times before.

"He took my mom away," Snowdrake said. "She was… dying. Of some disease. Can't remember its name, but he and his assistant, Alphys I think her name was, managed to persuade her and my dad to give her up for some... experiments. That was many, many years ago and I haven't seen or heard from her since. Then the war started to have an effect on the capital."

Snowdrake suddenly looked as if he was about to tear up.

"Even though we lived in the capital, we were pretty much fucked," he continued. "If we had never accepted that bastards offer, we might've found another way to save mom. Dad said it wasn't possible, but I know it was. But as it stood, bills just kept piling and piling. My father was a comedian, and such a job doesn't pay well in the capital so we were eventually forced to move down here. Obviously, it put my dad in a bad mood for a long time and so he… he began using some Baron's Breath to help with his nerves, but one day he accidentally took too much and… and he…"

He finally began to cry.

"Jesus," Frisk said. "Sorry I… I had no idea."

"Yeah," Ice-Cap said somberly as well. "My parents died in the war. Or so I've been told. I was only a few months old back then."

"Mine died of some disease," Chilldrake added. "They didn't have any money to do anything about it though, so they gave me off to the orphanage before they could infect me as well."

"I never knew my parents," Berdly said, and Frisk found it strange to hear a hint of sorrow in his otherwise smug voice. "I've lived in the orphanage ever since I hatched."

All the monsters turned quiet and they all stared off into no discernible direction. Before Frisk noticed, the only in the area came from the crackling of the wood breaking down in the warm fire.

She didn't know what to think. What to feel even. She believed she could sort of relate their grief, the way they spoke about their parents, but she wasn't sure if it was fair to compare herself to them. A part of her, a somewhat selfish part wished she could, but another part of her knew it was not at all right.

" _I don't want to see you or your god-damn face ever again"_ , ran through her mind. A reminder, an echo, that she had tried her hardest to run away from for a long time. She didn't want to be in this place anymore.

"Alright," Frisk began. "This conversation has taken a turn. It was nice meeting you guys, but I think its best we go before I somehow make it worse."

She stood up and dusted the snow from her pants.

"Wait, a-are you leaving?" Ice-Cap asked her.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Frisk said.

She sighed, as she saw his somewhat saddened expression.

"Its nothing to do with you guys, I promise," Frisk said. "I just… I have to go. I'm late… I think. There are people waiting for me."

"Personally, I've been, surprisingly enough, enjoying your company," Flowey said. "But I'm kinda her guide and she's kinda my boss so it's not like I have a choice in the matter."

"Alright then," Chilldrake began. "It was nice meeting you two."

"You too, guys," Frisk said back.

"Hey before you go, you guys didn't happen to see a fat skeleton around here have you?" Snowdrake suddenly asked.

Frisk quickly turned to him.

"Uhh, yeah I think," she said.

"You mean Sans right?" Flowey asked.

"Yeah, I think that's his name," Snowdrake said.

"That is his name," Berdly added.

"Why?" Frisk asked, feeling slightly nervous. "Should we watch out for him or something?"

"Nah, he's not that bad on his own," the bird said. "But I'm not sure if you know this but… Gaster is his dad."

Frisk looked at him with a tinge of disbelief for a good few moments. Then as the momentary shock faded, she felt it being replaced a soft dread.

"Seriously?" she asked him. "Well, that's something. Thanks, I guess."

Now that she had this info, she felt it was explained to her, even only slightly, some of the unease she experienced from her encounter with the strange, fat skeleton. Frisk thought that Snowdrake could have well just told her that he was rumoured to be a serial killer and she was sure she wouldn't feel much different.

"Be careful," Chilldrake advised her. "Shit's fucked out there. Not a great time for a newbie like you to be around."

"I figured that already," Frisk said. "Alright. Off I go I guess."

"Bye," Ice-Cap said courteously to her.

With that said, Frisk turned around and began to slog back the way she came.

" _Hey, now that Gyftrot is gone_ ," she heard Berdly say to the guys behind her. "Y _ou think we maybe should check out his house? Maybe move there? Seems like a perfect time to live somewhere warm_."

" _Oh, you're such an inconsiderate asshole Berdly_ ," Frisk heard Chilldrake say. " _But fuck it. Might be better than this freezing cold._ "

After that, the group of teens went completely out of her earshot.

"So… you humans really don't have internet where you are from?" Flowey asked Frisk once they had been back on the road a bit. "I may be remembering this wrong, which is a possibility mind you, but I was pretty sure that the monster internet was based on… well, your internet."

"Of course we have internet," Frisk answered. "I was just playing dumb with those guys earlier. I was afraid I might reveal too much."

"Oh," Flowey said and then his face changed into realization. "OH. Is that why you were acting so weird for a moment back there?"

"Yeah duh," Frisk said and smiled. "No offence, but you are a bit too slow sometimes."

"I blame my memory loss personally," Flowey said.

"That may be the case," Frisk said. "Yeah, the internet is actually super important amongst us human folk. Honestly can't imagine life above without it. Hell, it's so important that some rich celebrities or business owners or such even have it literally implanted it in their brains and or eyes."

"Really?!" Flowey asked with great intrigue and surprise.

"Yeah, with cybernetics and shit," Frisk answered.

"Oh you're just joking now," Flowey said with doubt in his voice.

"I'm not," Frisk said and chuckled lightly. "Man, if I had WiFi down here, I would definitely show you some photos. Some of them look like frigging cyborgs. Speaking of which, when we get to town, do you think it might be possible for me to access the monster internet on phone? I got some things I need to do. People to speak to, and stuff to catch up to, things like that."

"Yeah, about that," Flowey began.

Just hearing his tone, Frisk was already disappointed.

"I don't think it's possible," Flowey continued. "I seem to remember that it's built so that only monster made technology can access their internet."

"Hmm, that makes sense," Frisk said disappointingly.

"But we can try," Flowey added. "I mean, human technology seems to have certainly evolved from over a hundred years ago. Who knows? Maybe it'll work now."

"Yeah hopefully," Frisk said.

"Gotta say though," Flowey added. "I'm still not buying your cybernetics thing until I see it for real. I mean it just sounds completely Sci-Fi."

"Now that you mention it, yeah," Frisk said. "Funny. When you actually think about it, most of the shit we have right now would be considered futuristic and something from a Sci-Fi flick from a hundred, hell even just 50 years ago. Most of it is just so ingrained in our lives that we don't think much of it."

"Huh, never thought about it like that," Flowey said with intrigue.

"Or maybe you have but just forgot about it," Frisk added.

"Heh, maybe," Flowey said and smiled.

Frisk glanced at the trees and felt them look more lively now somehow, even though these ones looked unchanged from the pine trees she had walked past dozens of time without thinking.

The road also felt different now, curving more to sides or being patterned like a wave, rather than the simple straight-line she had walked on the past hour or so.

Her silence this time was not due to fear, rather, it was because her thoughts were somewhere else this time, and she couldn't think of much to say.

Part of her thoughts was focused on the growing discomfort she felt on her shoeless foot. Her white sock had finally gotten soggy after walking and sitting on pounds and pounds of snow. She was now starting to regret throwing it at the monster in the ruins, even if it did buy her valuable time for a moment. She thought that if she had analyzed the situation better and not rushed in, she would've maybe thought of other ways. Then again, Frisk believed she had no reason to think that the next area beyond the stone gate would be covered in snow for miles on end. She, in fact, assumed it was the end of the cavern. A door leading home.

But even with her current hindsight, Frisk didn't dare to reset and try again. She didn't even want to think about the poor old monster again, much less confront him again.

It was at this moment the silence of the woods got to her, and the bad thoughts were beginning to crawl in, so she moved her thoughts to about getting back home and what she planned to do once she did. Then she thought about the teens she met a short while ago, about their conversations and moments of joy

But then another thought came, one she just couldn't repress no matter how hard she tried. It was of Gaster. That name, that person she knew next to nothing about, yet the mere utterance of was enough to make her shiver. She learned a fair bit about him from the teens. They way Ice-Cap mentioned his name so casually made her think this Gaster person was at least well known, and from what she gathered from Snowdrake, she was sure it was not due to a good reason. It was like she had found a missing piece of a half-finished jigsaw puzzle, one where the available pieces hinted at a very disturbing picture to come.

Yet, she still wanted to know more. A large and scared, but morbidly curious part of her wanted to know more. Had to know more, as if she wouldn't be complete without a full picture, even if it would horrify her beyond reasoning.

"Hey, Flowey," she began. "Is there anything you can tell me about… Gaster?"

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that," Flowey said. "Didn't you just get here a few hours ago? How in the world have you heard of him?"

"I told you and the guys, I dreamt of him," Frisk answered.

"Yeah sorry but I doubt that," Flowey said with brutal honesty. "I don't think you're able to dream about a person like that without having had at least some memories of him. What are you hiding?"

"Nothing!" Frisk exclaimed. "I swear to god, my nightmare last night was the first time I've ever heard of him. Christ. So much weird shit has happened the last few hours. You can buy magic and monsters, but not weird nightmares of people I've never met?"

"Hmm," Flowey said as he looked at her analytically. "Alright, fair point. I'll bite."

"Ok good," Frisk said. "By the way, why didn't you tell me before that Gaster is that skeleton guy's dad?"

"Pardon?" Flowey asked.

"You know, back when we met him, Sans or whatever," Frisk said.

"Seriously?!" Flowey asked, sounding as if he was offended by stupidity. "How the… how the hell, sorry heck, was I supposed to know that was relevant back there? Yeah, Gaster is a creep, but I felt he wasn't that important to mention at the time. Also, I didn't know you had a dream about him or anything at the time you hadn't told me about it yet!"

"Oh, you're right, sorry," Frisk said apologetically. "I just… wasn't thinking straight."

" _Not the first time today_ ," Flowey softly muttered.

"Anyway, you mentioned he was a creep," Frisk added. "As in how exactly?"

"Hmm," Flowey said thoughtfully. "How do I put this? Well… do you know that feeling when you see something that supposed to be familiar and friendly, but you feel like something about that thing is wrong or incorrect but you can't place what that is exactly so it makes you somewhat disturbed by the thing in question?"

"You mean like the uncanny valley?" Frisk asked.

"I have literally no idea what that is," Flowey said.

"Oh, it's a term we humans use," Frisk explained. "Basically, it's used when we see something that's clearly not human mimick human look, but not completely enough which makes our brains go haywire and freak out. Like, for example, a baby doll that has so many details that it could almost pass as a human baby, but there is just something about it that doesn't fit so it comes across as creepy rather than cute. More often than not you can't tell what's wrong at first glance, but your brain can, so it makes you feel scared of it no matter what. Personally, I'm not really that bothered by those things, but lots of people- I mean humans are."

"Hmm, yeah might be about it," Flowey said. "Frankly, that sounds like a perfect explanation of what I'm talking about."

"Yeah I know," Frisk said.

"Uncanny valley," Flowey repeated. "I think I'm gonna use that. But yeah. That's kinda Gaster in a nutshell. Familiar, but something always feels wrong about him. Heck, now that I think about him, everything about him feels wrong or, well, uncanny in some way or another. The way he looks, the way he talks, even his movements feel wrong. Gods, the way he moves. It's like his whole body has its own gravity to it, distant from ours."

Frisk felt shivers just after hearing this short description. She thought it could just be because of the wind, but she felt otherwise. Still, with her morbid curiosity, she wanted to know more.

"Anything else you can tell me?" she asked. "About Gaster that is."

"Oh, I can tell you plenty about Gaster," Flowey said. "Most of my memory might be missing yea, possibly even plenty related to him, but I thankfully still have enough in my noggin about him to give me a lasting impression."

His expression turned uneasy, in a way as if something was suddenly disturbing him.

"Honestly, I'm not sure thankfully is the right word," Flowey said. "As I said, he's creepy. He's also smart. Very smart, obviously. He's the royal scientist after all, so it's his job to be."

"That reminds me," Frisk began. "What is a royal scientist exactly?"

"Well, I think that's best described as almost like a fancy, modern-day rebranding of court magician," Flowey explained. "Basically, he oversees most of the science divisions and experiments going on, while also assisting in the technological advancements going on in the underground. His job also consists, like any good court magician, of occasionally dabbling in the mystic arts and the unexplainable. Mostly as a way to better understand, and or quantify those things."

"I see," Frisk said.

"Of course, he also has followers," Flowey added. "Can't pull such a large job on your own after all, and he's smart enough to know that. But I doubt he would be able to find many new monsters to willingly work for him these days."

"Why not?" Frisk asked.

"Well it's not just his look and behaviour that's creepy," Flowey began. "His actions and manner of speaking are… questionable, to say the least. In all my memories of chatting with him, I always felt like he was hiding something. That he knew more than he lay on. Even if we were just talking about something mundane like I dunno, Ice-cream, his words always seemed to paint a picture of something being obscured. Kinda like he… knew exactly where the conversation was going as if he's been through it countless times. Not to mention, his tone of voice always made me shiver a bit, and I'm a flower for the angel's sake. Worst of all is that, sometimes, he seems to imply that he knows he comes across as uncanny to people, but decides it's not worth doing anything about as if everyone else is lesser than him or something, and not worth his sympathy."

He sighed.

"From what I've read and can remember reading," Flowey added. "He was, supposedly, a much better person before his _accident_."

"Accident?" Frisk asked curiously.

"Ahh it's a long story," Flowey began. "Basically, a few years back, before I was alive that is, one of his experiments went horribly wrong. He lived, obviously, but he had disappeared for a while, and when he came back he went into a coma of sorts before waking up as… well, who he is now."

"Alright, how was he before the accident though?" Frisk asked.

A small grin grew on Flowey's face.

"Oh from what I've gathered," Flowey said. "He was like his son is but better. In almost every perceivable way. He was cheery and sympathetic, and some reports say that when he wasn't working, he used to pull all sorts of stuff, some of it even bordering on unprofessional, but nothing that ruined the day for anyone. Unlike his son, he was also pretty funny apparently, and not as irritating."

"Ehh, Sans is not that bad," Frisk said.

"Oh let's agree to disagree with that," Flowey said. "Gods though. What I wouldn't do to meet the old Gaster."

Flowey turned silent as he put on a dreaming expression.

"Anything else you know or remember about him?" Frisk asked.

"Hmm," Flowey said thoughtfully. "Nah. I think I've said everything I got."

"Well I think it was more than enough," Frisk said. "Thanks for the info, Flowey."

"No problem, _friend_ ," Flowey said.

"Oh you're not gonna let that down are you?" Frisk said and smiled.

"Not unless you truly disagree with it that is," Flowey said mischievously.

"Alright," Frisk said, still smiling. "Let us not get ahead of ourselves just yet?"

After that dialogue, she felt she was now one step closer to understand her nightmare and her sudden knowledge of the strange, mystery man. She still felt somewhat uneasy about him, but for now, with more knowledge, she felt just a teensy bit better.

Frisk eventually lost track of the time. The road seemed to change constantly now. Not only did it curve and bend, but sometimes it led to bridges over small frozen lakes, or through open fields, some with old shacks or playground. One even seemed to have a tiny, frozen mini-golf course of sorts. There were also cliffs here and there and the road leading up and down some, and only recently did Frisk realized she was on a higher altitude once the road curved by a brink where she could see a valley far down. The mere height and size of the cavern impressed her. It was like an entire, underground country with its own landscape.

Frisk and Flowey now talked a lot on the road, most of it unrelated babble. Frisk asked him, for example, of monsters and how many types there were and Flowey then proceed to list a dozen or so he remembered. Many of them were names Frisk had never heard of before and she proceeded to immediately forget. Then she asked him if dragons were a type of monsters, and she expressed clear joy once Flowey confirmed that.

Mostly, she just chatted with him to lessen the unease and bothersome thoughts she was having, so Frisk tried to ask as much she could think of. She asked questions about the history, the culture and why monsters were locked down here in the first place, and if there were any other places they could be. That's when Flowey told her a short version of the history of the monsters, of a war between human monsters which ended in the monsters defeat, and then he told her about the barrier around the mountain that was erected by seven human mages and that only humans can go through it. Frisk asked why the war happened and Flowey told her the truth that no one really knows why.

As to whether there were other mountains with monsters, Flowey wasn't sure, although he told her there plenty of theories of it. But also made a clear emphasis that's all they were, theories, and that even the oldest monsters down here didn't know for sure either.

A lot of those answers Flowey gave her, Frisk felt thankfully answer a lot of her questions. There were some moments of annoyance where Flowey's amnesia manifested and he couldn't remember some details or important tidbits, but overall, the answers he could give were mostly enough for her to keep a clear head.

"So do you personally think there are other mountains, or do you believe you guys are really alone?" Frisk asked as they passed into another open field.

"I don't know," Flowey admitted. "I mean I like to think so. Would be a bit lonely otherwise. I guess we'll find out when we monsters get out of here."

"When?" Frisk repeated. "So there is a chance of freedom?"

"Well, some monsters are working on it," Flowey said. "They've been working on it for quite a while in fact, and they've in fact made plenty of progress so far with some... methods and ideas I'm not getting into because I've forgotten."

"So how long do you think until you guys are free?" Frisk asked.

"I dunno," Flowey said. "My guess is about a few decades at most."

"Hmm, alright then," Frisk said. "I hope I'll still be alive by then."

"I hope so too," Flowey said. "I think everyone down here does."

Frisk began to wonder now. The same questions she wondered before. How would society react and change once monsters suddenly started pouring out? Would humans accept them? Would there be another war? Would there be chaos? Frisk didn't know what to think as the likeliest outcome. At the very least, plenty of books would have to be rewritten. Whatever happens, Frisk decided at that moment that if she were still around once the time came, she would become one of their first supporters.

"Alright," Flowey began as the road again grew surrounded by trees. "If my memory serves correct, then we should be close to town. Now. There should be a-"

"Sup kiddo," said a familiar voice behind them suddenly. "Fancy seeing you again."

"Gah, fuck!" exclaimed Frisk.

Behind them, there now stood a familiar short yet bulging skeleton in a blue jacket, with black shorts and a wide grin stuck on its face.

"Jesus Christ," Frisk said, her hand on her chest. "Do you really have to sneak up on me like that every time?!"

"I was just passing by and wanted to say hi," said Sans. "Sorry kiddo. Didn't meant to scare the skin out off ya."

"Ugh," Flowey expressed and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," Frisk quickly said. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Sans asked back. "I said I was passing by and wanted to say hi. Not surprised you forgot since it was a pretty uneventful conversation."

"No I meant, what are you doing here?" Frisk said, somewhat harshly. "As in why were you passing by?"

"Geez kiddo," Sans said, still grinning as usual. "You seem suddenly harsher than before. Are you even the same striped jacket-wearing kid, because if not, have you seen another human kid here recently? She was wearing the same looking striped jacket, with only one shoe and brown skin like you. Speaking of which, now that I think about it, she looked very similar to you, whatever your name is. Do all humans look the same? Or does that count as racist?"

Frisk said nothing. She simply felt incredibly on edge dealing with him, now that she knew who his father was. It didn't help that Frisk felt like the smiling skeleton was reading her mind.

"Giving me the silent treatment eh kiddo?" Sans continued. "That's alright. You don't need to waste your words on me. I'm not that interesting anyway."

"You can say that again," Flowey said.

"Alright, you want to know the truth of why I was around here?" Sans began, either ignoring or not noticing what Flowey said. "Will that make you happy? Ok then. So I was just here setting up a new business I'm planning. I've decided I want to start selling fried snow. Haven't seen much of that around so I decided to tap into this unused market. Give me a month or maybe even a week and I'm sure I'll be a billionaire. Now, since you've been such a good kid, I think I'm gonna give you a great, once in a lifetime discount on the first batch official fried snow. It's only 9999g. Take it while it's still warm."

"Why are you really here?" Frisk said sternly.

"Alright kiddo," Sans began. "Did something happen recently? Because if so, I think I can help ya out. I may be lazy, but I ain't heartless. Metaphorically at least."

Frisk felt a bit unsure of herself now. Looking at him now, she could not miss the similarities he had to the man she saw in her dream, even if he was literally just a skeleton. While she knew it was possible he had no ill intent, Frisk still didn't feel comfortable by his presence. But she also realized that it wasn't the best idea to judge a person by their parents, especially since she didn't really know his. Properly that is.

"It's nothing," she lied. "Nothing's the matter."

The skeleton stared at her suspiciously.

"Alright," he said. "If you say so."

"You didn't answer her question before," Flowey said.

"Geez, everyone is acting suspicious of me today," Sans said, still grinning. "I swear to you, I do not know where they hid the money."

"Hold up, what?" Frisk asked in surprise.

"It was a joke, kiddo," Sans said.

"Oh," Frisk expressed. "Huh."

Flowey gave out an exasperated sigh.

"Can we continue on Frisk?" he asked. "I wanna get to Snowdin in the next few minutes if we can, especially if this trash bag is gonna tag along the way."

"Oh, you're in luck then," Sans said. "The town is just over that hill."

He pointed with his bony, index finger to a spot behind them. Frisk then turned around and indeed saw the road leading up a hill large enough to obscure what was behind it. Looking closer, Frisk saw the occasional smoke rise up here and there. Chimneys, she figured. Frisk now felt a rush of excitement build up within her.

"Oh, I knew that already," Flowey said, somewhat awkwardly. "And I definitely… did not forget that."

"We're finally here?" Frisk said, with joy in her voice. "Holy shit. I get to see an actual town full of monsters."

"Don't get too excited," Sans said. "It ain't as cool these days. No pun intended. Or was there?"

"It can't be that bad since I last remember," Flowey said.

"Oh it is that bad," Sans said. "Then again, I can't read your mind so I don't know whether the last you remember was like from yesterday or a decade ago."

Without uttering a word, Frisk hurried her steps as she began headed towards the hill.

"Wow, someone is excited," Sans said behind her, with the same calm demeanour in his voice as he had in the last hour or so.

Frisk saw the hill grow closer and closer while her excitement grew at the same pace. The grey clouds of smoke in the distance also became more distinct. In only a few minutes, she had already reached the hill.

"Woah calm down Frisk," Flowey said, bouncing around in her backpack as she climbed up the road. "I'm getting sick from all this dangling you're making me do."

"Can flowers even get sick?" Frisk asked him.

"I honestly don't know," Flowey answered. "But if I throw up in the next few minutes I'm holding you accountable."

"Well then I'll happily take full blame I guess," Frisk said and smiled.

Climbing up the hill proved to be very arduous. To make it worse, the snow grew thicker with every height, and once she was close to the top, she was knee-deep in snow. Frisk almost felt like she was climbing a mountain. If it wasn't for the moment with the stone door in the ruins, this would've been the most she had used up her strength today. Yet, like with the stone door, she was determined to pull off these last steps, only in this instance, she didn't have the fear of someone chasing after her.

Once she finally reached the top after a surprisingly gruelling climb, she took a short breather and gazed upon the other side… and became utterly shocked, disappointed and saddened by what she saw.

Across the other side of the hill, and across a long wooden bridge that lay above a tall crevice separating the hill from the town and leading far, far down, was what Frisk could only surmise from the crudely stacked buildings was once a prosperous town. Whatever it was like in the past was a time clearly long gone, as if it wasn't for the couple smoking chimneys and strange unidentifiable figures of various shapes and colours in the distant, Frisk would have assumed this town was long abandoned. All the houses were drab and colourless, with dozens of holes and empty frames, with some missing their front doors or even entire walls. Some of the buildings had the windows boarded up, and the streets were covered in newspapers and garbage blowing in the wind. The only two buildings that looked in decent shape was one at the other end of town she could only glance at, and another one in what seemed to be the square, that looked like some sort of bar or restaurant of sorts, but even these two buildings didn't seem to be in perfect shape either.

The figures, that Frisk could only guess were other monsters from this distance, looked like they were either wandering alone aimlessly, gathered up around makeshift campfires or huddled together in some empty building. If there was one thing on earth Frisk could best compare this horrendous sight too, it would be a warzone.

"By the angel," Flowey gasped. "What in the world happened here during the time I was asleep?"

Sans walked beside the surprised and disappointed duo, and even with his large, seemingly permanent smile, his posture and look gave off a clear vibe of utter saddened shame.

"Welcome to the cheerful town of Snowdin," he said. "Or at least what's left of it anyway."

* * *

Author's note:

So I decided to take a break from being dead and finally uploaded a new chapter.

Seriously speaking though, hi. It's been a while. I'm sure some of you (the ones that stayed and are thus reading this) began to suspect that I've given up on this fanfiction, or maybe even fanfiction in general. That's actually, sort of, the opposite reason of why I was away. I'm actually writing several fanfictions now, all UT or DT related, and one original short story of my own. One of those I've already written a chapter for, and you can check it out yourself. Just look up the fic, Dungeons and Darkners. My idea for that came as I was going through some of my favorite fan artists and realized we all have our own takes on Frisk, so that story is basically a semi non-canonical, crossover fic involving all of our three versions of Frisk meeting up, and before you ask, yes I got permission from them. Alongside that, I've also been brainstorming some other fics, most of it just spin-offs of this AU with other side characters, including one about Politics Bear. Yeah, that guy from Snowdin who only had like 3-4 lines in the game at the very least. I kinda starting writing his story if you can remember a while back, but I'm kinda starting over with it, now that I'm more adjusted to writing. Then there is also my original short story, unrelated to UT or DR or any other work already made, but I haven't touched it in months and I kinda wanna finish it before the year is over. Maybe I'll post a link to it here once I'm done with it.  
So I've just been busy with that, and other stuff. Turns out, this might've been a bad time to start working on multiple fics at once, since we are at the end of the semester, and Christmas is coming up and all that jazz.  
But it doesn't matter much now because guess what, I've finally uploaded the next chapter, and it's a long one at that. The longest chapter so far, maxing over 26 pages on my Google docs. I guess it's only fair after such a long wait, and I also have so much to say about it.  
This is kinda the chapter where we get to know more about the state of the underground in this AU, and there is also some character and lore building going on. We also meet some characters from UT, including the group of teens I decided to not make hostile this time, and even Berdly. Yes, in case you were wondering, this is that Berdly. From Deltarune. I was originally going to make it Jerry, but then I wanted to add more connection to the DT world and thought "why not?" and so I gave him a short camoe so to speak. This will not be the only character or reference to DT, so keep an eye out for more in future chapters.  
As I've already laid down before, every chapter, and I'm talking about chapters overall but not parts, is followed a short interlude. While the first interlude was used to build mistery with new characters that never appeared in UT or even DT, the next chapter will... be slightly mysterious as well, but unlike the first one that is not the focus, and it does feature two major characters from UT and is kinda their introduction in this AU, so to speak. As to who these characters are, well I leave you to guess until it comes out. All I will hint at is that they have already been mentioned in the story so far.

Anyway, enough babbling and enjoy the story. The interlude and next chapter will come soon (hopefully before 2020) and I hope you'll stay until then.  
Adios.


	16. Interlude 2

**Interlude 2: The Uncanny Valley**

 **Hotland, Core**

Deep in a hot, volcanic region, where mountains and rivers of pure fire lay dormant, a large, intimidating building of pure glass and metal stood firm. Inside of it, the short and plump yellow drake monster, Alphys, wearing her white lab coat entered the lab elevator, alone and trembling, with a touchpad and stacks of files in her hands. She hated this part of her job. It was by far the worst part, and something she wouldn't dare put on even her worst enemies. But since she was The Royal Scientist's top assistant, she knew it was also one of the most important moments of her job, if not the most.

Yet she still couldn't help but hate it either way. Every time she saw that accursed red light blink in her lab office, which also happened to be her home as well, she always felt like her heart ceased. Every time it came, and it always came without warning, it was like the world had stopped turning, and she stared at the blinking light and listened to it's soft but audible beep for a few moments of pure, unadulterated terror, before she managed to put herself together, although barely, and then attempt to answer that call.

This time it came just over a minute ago, unannounced as usual, while she was in her bed watching old reruns of her favourite human shows, and in just seconds after her initial shock wore off, she had dressed into her usual white lab coat and gathered the files and notepad.

There was only one thing that blinking, red light always meant. One thing it always signified, like a horrible omen of eldritch proportion. It was her boss, her master, The Royal Scientist himself, Gaster, calling for her.

The elevator went further and further down, deep into the crust of the earth. Alphys hated how slow it was sometimes, as it always prolonged the agony she desperately wanted over with as quickly as possible. Alphys counted down elevator numbers on the elevator pad and felt her yellow, reptilian teeth shiver. The countdown always seemed to slow down the further her floor came closer, like the universe itself was gleefully torturing her by delaying the inevitable. That and the soft ding it made as it passed by every floor, reminiscent of the dreadful blinking light hanging in her office, just made the agonizing wait worse.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the elevator reached its destination. It was the bottom floor, and seemingly so deep down that Alphys could've assumed it was at the bottom of the earth. The door opened, and in front of her was now the deep, dark hallway she always trembled at. The walls and floor were made of plain steel, and in the darkness, the hall seemed to lead into the depths of oblivion. It was never lit these days. It was supposed to be. Or so she was told. Whatever Gaster's reasoning was, Alphys couldn't dare imagine.

She slowly stepped with one clawed, trembling foot into the hallway, feeling as if she was about to literally face death itself. She felt her guts swirl once she placed her other, and was now finally standing with both her feet on the cold, empty metallic floor. Then she heard the door behind her close and her only source of merciful light at the moment, being the light from inside the elevator, follow suit. Alphys found herself now standing alone in utter silence facing nothing but blackness. At the end of this utter oblivion, he was waiting. Gaster was waiting.

Alphys felt sweat leak down her chin. Yet, it was cold in this place. Very cold. Like the outer spaces had somehow manifested here.

She should have been used to this by now. She knew that. This wasn't her first time in this place, nor would it most likely be her last. Yet all Alphys wanted to do now was to fall on the floor and hide, hide from the horrors that surrounded her in silence. This place felt worse now. It always did. It was like this place was the antithesis to both natural logic and earthly magic at the same time, and Alphys wondered in which future instance of coming down here, she would finally crack and lose her mind like Vissie did, her poor old friend and colleague.

But she was sure that if she did run or give up now, she would be given a much worse fate than whatever Gaster had in store for her now. Instead, Alphys did her usual and closed her eyes shut for a moment.

" _C'mon Alphys, y-you can d-do this_ ," she whispered to herself. " _Y-you're a big girl. A st-strong g-girl. It's just the u-usual. You just n-need to give it your- give HIM y-your papers and m-maybe t-talk for a moment, and th-then you can go back up. S-simple as that._ "

With that said, she opened her eyes, took a deep breath, turned on her notepad for some visible light, and headed down the dreaded, cold metallic corridor.

It was like she had now walked in silence for a few hours, hearing only her exasperated breath and footsteps creating metallic echoes through the halls during that time. Alphys looked at the clock on her notepad, and according to it, only a few minutes had passed. She knew that logic dictated that her fearful state must've caused her to imagine time moving much slower than it did, but she wasn't sure of that anymore. She wasn't sure if natural laws even applied down here these days.

A large set of doors now appeared on the hallway to her left and Alphys glanced at it fearfully as she walked past. She knew that door. Behind it lay literal manifestations of her shame and guilt, unkillable yet suffering from immense determination, her determination. The only solace she felt in it was that she wasn't really alone in the blame that lay there, yet Gaster seemed to harbour no sense of guilt about it whatsoever.

Those doors vanished deep in the darkness behind her, and Alphys wished for her dreadful destination to arrive soon just so she could get all of this over with. A few moments later it did, as she finally reached the large, red door at the end of the hallway.

She reached for her keycard in her pocket but unfortunately dropped it immediately from her shaking hands. Cursing herself, she kneeled down on the floor and tried to reach it. Something happened then, something strange she couldn't explain. She didn't realize something had even occurred until she was standing with the card in the slot and noticed she didn't remember ever getting the card back up. It was as if time itself had blinked for a moment, or changed so that she never dropped the card in the first place.

She shook her head and dismissed it as a simple memory loss in a midst of unease, and proceeded to open the door. The first thing she saw was a bright, sea-green light coming from a glass window on the other end of the room that appeared. The room in question was large and wide, and if it wasn't for the green light, it would have been almost as dark as the hallway, if not just as. In the centre of it was a large, strange mechanical device about her size, hovering just above the floor and being supported by steel bars, tubes and wires protruding from the ceiling. Alphys had no clue what the purpose of it was, but from this vantage, the strange apparatus resembled a strange, animal skull of a kind, mostly similar to what Alphys knew from her files on the surface animals as "a deer".

On the left and right walls of this wide-open lab were empty tubes filled with unidentifiable liquid, and on the other end underneath the table with the bright light were desks covered in blueprints, notes and the occasional science tools. Alphys partly wished, mostly out of curiosity, that Gaster would share with her what he was using these strange tubes, devices and notes for, but she was too scared to ever ask him, and another part of her even feared that knowing what it was would possibly make all this feel even worse.

Alphys felt her heartbeat go rapid as she slowly walked towards the glowing window, and the sweat on her yellow scales intensified. She almost couldn't bear to look at the light, even though she had seen it countless times, but she pressed on as Alphys knew that it would bring her closer to finishing this terrible ordeal.

Once she reached the glass window, she fearfully glanced through it. The frosted glass was almost the complete opposite of transparent, so all she could see was a large circular room covered in sea-green hue, and at the bottom of it, she saw a strange, humanoid, black and white silhouette almost hidden by the frosting. She knew who it was. It was Gaster.

Looking down at him, Alphys felt as if she would now finally faint. She hovered her finger over the button underneath the microphone beside the frosted glass window and finally brought herself to press it after a while.

"G-G-G-Gaster?" she spoke into the microphone. "S-sir? I… uhh, I came as y-you requested. I also, umm, brought the f-files that you… that you… asked for?"

She looked down, baffled, at the pile of papers in her hands, underneath her notepad. Even though she was certain she was supposed to bring these exact files, it just dawned on her that she never got any messages or notes requesting them. There wasn't even a microphone installed in her office, so the only way for Gaster to ask for them would've been in person. It was as if something had somehow planted this idea into her mind. Or maybe someone rather.

"Ha… ha… t-that's f-funny," Alphys said, trying her hardest to find light in this situation. "I-I could've… umm, I could've sworn t-that you asked me to… asked me to… bring these to you..."

As soon as she looked back through the frosted glass, Alphys noticed something, or rather a lack of something, that brought forth the biggest fright she had had for a while. The figure was gone. She never heard from him or from anything else from the room on the other side, yet he was clearly absent, and Alphys now began to frantically look around it in panic. It was like the sensation of finding a spider in the corner of your room, and then immediately losing it after you look away for only a short moment.

He had never done something like this before. Not in any of the previous instance of her coming down to this living nightmare, and she now began to wonder if she was finally losing it.

 _Where is he?!_ Alphys thought frantically. _Where is-_

She suddenly felt a dark presence in the air, and it dawned on her that she was no longer alone in this room. She slowly turned around.

"G-gaster…?" she asked softly

Chills ran up her scales and she froze solid. She could see a figure in the shadows, skinny and much taller than her, standing like a ghost with its back to her. It was staring at a glass jar sitting on a desk in the centre that Alphys had failed to notice once she came through the door. What Alphys could only see from this distance, was that the jar held a strange, jelly-like substance resembling almost a mushed human brain of sorts, but it also had some strange flesh-like qualities to its texture and even seemed to be crystallized.

The being in the shadows, the one she knew as Gaster, just stared at it, like he was somehow entranced by this strange gunk.

It was at this moment that she was reminded of why she hated coming down here, why she always hated meeting him. It wasn't due to the social anxiety she often had of meeting new people, or even comparable to when she was speaking to someone she looked highly up to or someone she had a tinge of a crush on. What she actually felt from Gaster, _that creature_ , was genuine, uncontested fear. Fear of the unknown, and fears made manifest from the hints of great or unnatural things that wouldn't belong in this world if the gods that existed were kind.

She no longer felt concerns on whether she was actually supposed to bring him these files or not, as she no longer cared and just wished to get out of here as soon as she could.

"H-hey," she said nervously to the figure. "I… uh, didn't see you there b-boss. Didn't uhh s-see you l-leave your meditation chamber either. How umm, how did you… d-do that?"

The silhouetted figure said nothing and made no movement like it was a statue.

"N-never mind," Alphys continued. "S-sorry. I am s-so sorry I… I'm just gonna… leave t-these f-files here, I don't really know i-if you want them or not-"

As she was about to plop the files onto the table by the frosted window and then proceed to frantically head out, she noticed the files on her hands were suddenly gone, and she only held her illuminating notepad. She had felt a strange lightness in her hands a moment ago, but she was too frightened to think much of it.

As Alphys turned again towards the figure, bewildered and scared of what could have possibly happened to it, she saw her question answered in the most unnatural and logic-defying way she could think of. The figure was now holding them in one of its skeletal hands and seemed to be looking at it. Alphys knew of magic that could teleport items from one destination to another, yet this felt this was somehow different from that, more subtle and less noticeable. It was almost like she never held the files in the first place.

"Y-you already have it," Alphys said frantically. "G-great. J-just g-great. Glad I could, umm, be of help. To you that is. I, uh, I'm gonna go now."

The figure said nothing as it continued to examine the files. Then Alphys saw the file flip a page on its own, without seeing the figure ever using its other hand. She felt she had seen enough now. She had felt that for a while.

She walked past the silhouetted figure, who did not do so much as to turn towards her. Alphys felt, at that moment, a gigantic rush of relief. This moment seemed to have ended much earlier than she anticipated. She didn't even have to speak to her boss it seemed. Now she could finally get back upstairs and chill in her bed for seemingly the rest of the day without much worry.

" _Alphys_ ," a voice suddenly spoke.

The yellow lizard froze in her tracks. She felt an unnatural amount of horror grip cling her to the floor like an anchor. The voice sounded almost like a whisper yet at the same time it was paradoxically loud enough to echo across the whole floor. It seemed to spread through every door and every hallway, and it marked itself as a permanent stain on the yellow lizard's mind as it dug through both her eardrums like a wormlike parasite. But the most frightful thing, the one thing she hated the most, was about how it seemed to control her every nerve, and suddenly she felt the idea to ignore that voice to be the worst possible thing anyone could do at this moment. She was sure that even the bravest of souls would feel hesitant in rejecting it.

" _Turn around_ ," the voice spoke again. " _I want to talk to you_."

Alphys didn't even consider refusing and proceeded to obey. Once she did, she was greeted by the same bottomless eyes that glared into infinity she had seen and loathed for years. The eyes seemed almost pure black at first glance, somehow even darker than the rest of the figure itself, but each of them had white dots in the centre like distant lights at the end of the darkest tunnels of oblivion, and here in the darkness of the room it was like looking the last remaining stars on an otherwise empty night sky in a dying universe. It was like staring at eternity, and they hinted at things, greater things not meant to be realized by any entity, magic or not, in this fragile reality. Where these white dots ended or even where they led, Alphys couldn't even dare to imagine, as she felt the truth would make her mad. All she could bring herself to do now was stare at this being, this being she knew for years but still couldn't fathom as existing in the slightest.

"G-g-g-g-g-" was all she could mutter.

The being looked at her, patiently, with his seemingly bottomless eyes. The way he did just made Alphys feel worse.

"G-Gaster?" Alphys finally said, although meekly. "Uhh… w-what d-d-d-do you uhh…"

" _What do I want?_ " the being asked back. " _I want to talk. Simple as that_."

"Oh uh… about uhh… w-what?" Alphys asked, nervously.

" _You should know_ ," Gaster simply said. " _I am disappointed in you. Only slightly, but still, I am disappointed_."

That one word, _disappointed_ , seemed to cause all of Alphys' nerves to seize at once. He had never said that to her, and the lizard felt like she was about to genuinely die, or worse. Yet, despite everything, despite now wanting to run screaming out the door and through the halls, she felt it was better to stand her ground for now, as she feared that doing otherwise would upset him even more.

" _A-about what_?" she said in a whisper, as it was all she could muster through her trauma.

Gaster stood still, almost as if he was waiting for his turn to speak.

" _I read… some of your so-called files on human history_ ," he began after a short pause. " _And watched some of the tapes. Even tried out some of those… interactive media. I found them… interesting to say the least. Valuable even, in some sorts. But that is not the reason I have called you here. The reason is your reckless usage of them._ "

Alphys almost opened her mouth in disbelief. Those tapes and books were supposed to be kept secure in a locked closet in her room, and she only let a select few others view them. It had been that way for years, and she hadn't even informed Gaster about them one bit. She knew the possibility that someone else had told him, but barely anyone came down here these past few years except for her, or so it was ever since Vissie lost her mind and was sent to the asylum.

 _Is there no limit to this… thing's grasp?_ Alphys thought to herself and felt the sweat run down her cheeks.

"Oh… t-t-those things?" she asked and smiled nervously. "H-how uhh… how did y-you hear a-about them? H-how did you even… uhh… get to them exactly?"

" _They are all fiction_ ," Gaster said, clearly ignoring her questions. " _None of these things, in any of the discs or stories, actually transpired in this world or any that closely resembles it, and those aspects of them that do have some actual historical merit have been changed so much as to be completely unrecognizable. Yet, you are not naive. You are smart, and you knew, yet you still labelled them as history. Why?_ "

"I.. uhh…" Alphys muttered, smiling awkwardly and sweating.

Her literal lizard brain tried it hardest to think of any excuse it could possibly think of, anything that could possibly save her from this being's wrath.

"Y-you're right… I did do that," Alphys began, spouting out whatever popped in her mind. "I-I did label them as… history, because, um, that is… what they are… in a sense. A history of… human media. Sure it's kinda… lacking in content if we are speaking in a general sense, it's no library, after all, heh, but this is all I have managed to scavenge from the trash that flows down here. Besides, we… heh… all gotta start somewhere right? And collecting human media is important… in a sense. Also, I never really expected anyone to take any of them seriously, heh. Maybe I should've… made it clearer."

She smiled apologetically at the cold figure in the dark. He seemingly stared at her, unmoving, but Alphys couldn't really tell from the darkness. Then walked a few steps forward, until the sea-green light from the window alongside the white one from her notepad finally illuminated the rest of his body. She could now see this being as it truly looked. The head that held those two infinite pits with distant light uncannily resembled a human skull, and Alphys felt like there was something else wrong with it despite the aforementioned eye sockets, but she couldn't fathom what. The Royal Scientist wore a coat of purest midnight black, the one he almost always wore, and it made him look almost like a sorcerer from a distant corner of dark lands. If Alphys didn't know any better she would've thought he brought those clothes with him from whatever realm he returned from. Protruding from the two sleeves were skeletal hands, with milky white bone palms that slowly developed into ink coloured fingers like they had been dipped into a dark void where even the brightest of hopeful light could never shine. They were almost invisible when they were further in the darkness. He continued to stare at Alphys, seemingly thinking something.

" _You are lying_ ," he answered simply, sounding as cold and careless as his expression, yet his words made Alphys startle like a cat. " _You intentionally mislabeled these stories and entertainments to fool others into thinking these were historical records. You have already done so already, several times in fact, towards different souls, some of which that you care for. Now this misinformation has even spread throughout the underground from soul to soul, and you are the root of it._ "

Alphys didn't know what to say. It was like his voice was speaking directly into her soul, and reaching deep into the dark recesses of it and grabbing hold of whatever shame or sorrow lay in those depths, and she found herself unable to bring forth the courage to double down on her lying.

 _What else does he know?_ she thought, panicking. _What other knowledge is he hiding from me?_

"How did you… when did you hear about it?" Alphys nervously asked. "Did anyone tell you? Was it Vissie? Undyne?"

 _Wait, how could it be them_? Alphys thought. _But… if not them then who else could it be? Does Gaster actually leave this floor without my knowledge?_

" _No one told me_ ," Gaster answered simply.

That answer surprised Alphys and made her feel confused at first. But then as she thought on it she felt even more frightened.

"Then… h-how did you know?" she asked the being, befuddled. "Do you… go outside often?"

Gaster didn't answer. Just looked at her, silently. It seemed he wasn't willing to answer, but this silence Alphys thought was much more frightening than any explanation he could've given.

" _I do wonder though_ ," he suddenly began after a while. " _Why did you do it? What did you hope to accomplish by intentionally misleading other monsters?_ "

"I uhh…" Alphys muttered, not knowing where to start. "I j-just wanted to… impress others. All these works, these comics, shows and games. All of it is… so amazing I just wanted to… see how they reacted I guess."

" _So you are saying you deceived other souls, some of which you care for… for amusement?_ " Gaster said, sounding as confused as a machine trying to understand emotions.

"No, no, no!" Alphys began apologetically. "That's not it… I…"

She stopped herself from continuing. She couldn't find a clear, satisfying answer because there wasn't any, and she couldn't deny that anymore. Every excuse she made would just make it worse. She stared down on the floor, not wanting to look this being in his accursed eyes.

"I… I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know why I lied. I just… I'm sorry I'll fix it… I promise… boss. I'll even erase it all if I have to."

Alphys still couldn't bring herself to look at him, while he stared down at the ashamed lizard, looking like a master standing over his whipped hound. She wished that she was able to ignore his presence altogether, or even pretend he didn't exist as if he was simply an illusory shadow on the corner of her eyes. As it stood though, even the very air she breathed down here radiated his presence. To deny him was harder for her than to deny even reality itself.

" _Hmm_ ," Gaster finally replied after a while.

Without saying anything else, he turned around and headed back to the shadow.

" _Do not disturb me from now,_ " he said while staring again at the jar. " _Unless I otherwise order so. This work I have is far more important than anything you can think of. You should also know that it is of utmost secrecy. If you do however come down here, Miss Alphys…_ "

He turned suddenly quiet.

"I-if I come down here… t-then what?" Alphys asked and looked up nervously.

Gaster stared down at the glass jar on the table as if he was in thought.

" _You may leave now_ ," he simply answered. " _Do not disturb me._ "

And with that said, he was gone. Gaster, alongside the glass jar and the files, he was no longer in the room. There were no effects, lights, or sounds, or even anything that could've hinted he ever was here, and witnessing his mere vanishing as if he just blinked from existence made Alphys almost feel as if she was close to having a heart attack. Then after she absorbed what had happened, she felt a weight lifted from her soul as it no longer felt his presence, and without hesitating, she ran out of the room and walked down the corridor with haste.

She didn't even consider locking the door again behind her. All she wanted to do now was to get out of this accursed floor and corridor, away from these horrors and hints of otherworldly truths.

That was always how these meetings ended, every time she came down and most likely how they would continue to until perhaps she would become too scared in this place to even move on her own accord.

It wasn't like Gaster was unaware of it, of her fear. In one of her previous meetings down here, she finally caved in and confessed, but all he did was stare at her for a moment with his same, unmoving expression and then turned away as if all she told him were mere unimportant tidbits. Even when she broke out in front of him, he simply examined her with a soulless look. Alphys wondered sometimes if he even had a soul, or if it was lost whatever abyss he crawled back out of.

She hated coming down here. She hated this job, this torture she had to endure under the heel of a seemingly unnatural being. She even hated… him. Or at least who he had become.

She thought back on her memories of Gaster from old. Before the accident, and before his disappearance. The skeleton monster she worked with gleefully and who gave off no aura of disorder or otherworldly horrors. The hard-working yet joyous monster that brought smiles to her and her coworkers, the one who saw potential in her and even specifically picked her as his second in command. The monster… that she once loved.

There times though, where she wondered and feared if those memories were even true, or if they were merely something like fake implants that manifested after this being rose from whatever hell he was born in. Those thoughts came to her first after she discovered that she couldn't find a single file, source or anything that pointed to his existence before the accident. It was as if someone or something had wiped out or altered any records that even mentioned or hinted at him before he appeared and seized his current status. But then Alphys would wonder why her memories of him were of a much pleasant person than the thing that lived down here. Perhaps, as she sometimes considered, it wanted to ease her and everyone else into trusting it more, whatever it truly was. But then came the questions of his two sons, both of which were born long before his momentary disappearance. Then there was also Gaster's so-called father-in-law, Semi.

Alphys doubted though that she would ever find the truth of it. If it was even possible to find it that is. But the thing that bothered her the most, the question even she herself couldn't answer, and one she pondered on her elevator ride back up, was why she didn't quit. Or why she couldn't rather. She knew it was most likely for the best, but every time she ever came close to doing so, she felt a disturbance or sensation of sorts, telling her it was wrong or making her feel that her resignation would throw a wrench into some kind of plan she had to follow. She also thought at times that it was just an excuse she made, a convincing lie she made to herself, and the simple truth could be that she was fearful of how Gaster would react if she did resign.

She pondered these things and more even long after she left the elevator and entered her room where she proceeded to lay on her bed, as she did after every visit, waiting for this day to end. That was all she could do at this point. Ponder, but never expect to get an answer to any question.

* * *

Author's note:

So in this interlude, we are introduced to two major characters from the game, and ones who obviously play a somewhat big part in this story. As to how big, I can't exactly tell you.

I really don't have much to say about this chapter. I kinda wanted to make Gaster give off a whole Lovecraftian vibe, but spoiler alert, his presence is and won't not the only hint of that though. But this story is not gonna turn into like a cosmic horror story of sorts, or at least I haven't planed it to be. Simply since Gaster's mere concept is based somewhat on the question of existence, and that in the original game he is someone who got literally erased from existence, I thought it was kinda appropriate for his character in this AU to somewhat reflect that. Alphys, on the other hand, I decided not to change much. Many of the main cast hasn't so far, but there will be some changes in characters later, in case you are curious. I ain't telling who changes, but if you read the prequel story, A hunt to Remember, you might definitely guess one popular character that has a big change, so to speak.

So I am not sure when I can promise the next chapter to come out. I do have some other fics and stories to work on. There is the non-canonical crossover fic with the artists Killb94 and Katelynntheg, involving our three versions of Frisk. Then there is also the Shattering spin-off story about Politics Bear which I'm remaking, but I might end up possibly scratching that one altogether. Then finally, if you have been paying attention to these notes, there is the original short story I am making, completely set in my own fictional universe and not related to any games, movies or any official work. When I do manage to finish it, and it is not a question of if, I will post a link to it on a future note. My goal is to at least finish one of these projects before the end of the year.

Anyway, without further ado, enjoy the story so far.


	17. Snowdin Part 1

**Chapter 3: Snowdin - Part 1**

"This place looks…" Frisk began. "It looks…"

"Awful?" Sans said, still with a skeletal grin on his face. "Disastrous? Trashy? A hell zone? Don't worry kiddo. I doubt anyone here will feel offended by whatever you say about it. Snowdin has seen indeed seen much better days."

The town didn't prove much better once they finally crossed the surprisingly sturdy bridge. In fact, what surprised Frisk about it was that it had managed to somehow look worse up close. All the clumsy-looking buildings on the verge of collapsing, the decaying look and feel, and the countless marks of ruination everywhere were now in clear, uncomfortable detail. That with the addition of the gruesome stench that Frisk could tell seemed to be a mixture of month old clothing, spoiled food, the uncleanliness of wet animal fur, and burning wood and oil, just made this town already completely unforgettable in a sorrowful way, like a funeral for an old friend.

Frisk looked around, saddened and shocked, at the dozen of monsters of many types who paid no heed to the newcomers, who looked almost as miserable as the town itself. She counted so many new creatures she had never seen, which most humans had never seen, including a lot of ones resembling human-sized animals, standing upright and wearing, although torn and dirty, clothes like humans. Mostly they consisted of bunnies and hares with a few mice, equines, a single bear, and other mammals Frisk didn't recognize. That's not mentioning the ones with fewer or even no animal characteristics in general, including one that looked like a black-eyed, imp-like figure with horns and a devilish face that was clearly forcing a smile, a group gelatinous mostly round, colourless blobs of various sizes and wearing differing torn hats or fake beards, a fleshy, reptilian-like creature with long ears and an impish tail, and there was even one humanoid creature that seemed to be purely made of green fire, wearing torn clothing Frisk couldn't understand why it didn't burn. But she didn't think much of it. She, in fact, tried to not think much of this, not because she didn't really care or wasn't at all impressed, but rather she didn't want to. She even found it hard to accept just the slightest joy she felt at what she knew should be a groundbreaking sight for a human.

Frisk had been waiting these last few hours to feel joy and excitement at seeing a town full of strange monsters and creatures from the old fantasies and folktales come to life before her sight, but now that she finally stood there, in what was now just the ruins of a happier time she long missed all the possible joy and excitement she selfishly had now was drowned by the overwhelming grief and pity.

"What in the world happened to this town?" Flowey asked the bulging skeleton, sounding more befuddled than Frisk had ever heard him so far.

"What _hasn't_ happened to this town rather?" Sans replied. "Ever since the war ended, all manner of things were thrown this way in the decade and a half that followed. Oh, yeah, there was a war down here Frisky, just in case you humans were out of the loop on your monster history."

"We've heard that," Flowey said. "Or she did rather. I kinda had a few memories about that era and… ok, a lot of it was missing so I kinda learned as well. But it was more of a dusty recap rather than anything."

"Wait a minute Flowey," Frisk began as she just realized something. "I seem to recall that you said you fell into your coma around like 3-5 years ago or something. Yet according to the teens back there, the war officially ended in over a decade and a half or more ago. Shouldn't you at least have some memories of it? Or at least of how this town actually looked? I know you have some sort of amnesia, but forgetting an entire war and the state of a town feels kinda… stretching it."

"Well I was technically born after the war actually," Flowey answered. "I'm not that old, geez."

"Oh sorry," Frisk said. "But… shouldn't you have at least remember some sign of decay?"

"Of course there were some signs of decay," Flowey replied. "The town had problems yeah, a couple of empty buildings, plenty of homeless monsters and whatnot. But this? Snowdin wasn't nearly THIS bad, and I can assure you, I remember it well. I mean, it was admittedly already kinda one of the worst looking places down here 5 years ago, but this is like a whole new level of awfulness."

"That makes a bit of sense," Frisk replied. "It's just… I don't know. I expected more."

"Well, I think the real question is," Flowey began. "How in the world did this place manage to turn this bad in just 5 years?"

"No idea, you tell me," Sans answered, still grinning. "Hell, last year, I thought that was finally the worst Snowdin could get. But somehow, lo and behold, the cool people of Snowdin, pun intended, found a way to sink even further down. If I had to mindlessly throw out blame like an Undernet commenter, then I'm guessing it's a mixture tax increase, poor leadership and the capital seemingly just leaving us to our own devices while at the same time not letting us have a mayor or even say in the matter for some reason."

"Jesus," Frisk muttered softly as she looked around the town.

She saw that the inhabitants were finally looking and paying some attention to Sans and the two newcomers, although with seemingly little care. She was partly relieved to see that none of them seemed to recognize her as a human, although a creeping worry of that still lingered in her mind.

"Of course there was also The Royal Hunt," Sans suddenly blurted out. "Been making this place worse for years during their… let's say antics for the children that might be listening."

"Hang on," Frisk said. "I want to ask you something. What do you know of… The Hunt. And also, do you know anything about… about…"

Frisk found it hard to continue. She didn't know why but just muttering the name seemed impossible and it brought shivers through her body.

"About Mickey?" Sans asked casually.

Frisk stopped in her tracks and looked at him with slight unease.

"Uhh yeah," Frisk said, sounding worried. "How the… how did you know I was gonna ask about him?"

"Eh, I'm good at reading others," Sans answered simply and stopped as well.

"Right…" Frisk said, unconvinced. "You're not like… a mind reader or anything?"

"Of course not," Sans replied. "That would've made my jobs much easier."

"Mmh," Frisk simply said. "Is that true Flowey?"

"Yeah, he's not," Flowey confirmed. "If he was, maybe he wouldn't be so dumb now would he."

"Maybe not," Sans replied. "I'm sure I still would have my science degree though."

"Ugh right," Flowey said. "Forgot about that whole thing."

"Anyways," Frisk began, wanting to get back on track. "What do you know about Mickey?"

Sans became eerily quiet, and his seemingly endless smile didn't seem to be holding itself together. The chump skeleton then looked down at the ground like a terrible memory came flashing forth.

"I think I should be asking you something," he said and looked back up.

The smile on his face was gone, and Frisk who had gotten used to it, found it uncomfortable to not see him smiling, even though she knew human skeletons shouldn't even be able to do that in the first place.

"How do you know about him?" Sans asked simply.

"Umm," Frisk began. "There was this… this weird guy in the ruins. He told us about him. That we should keep away from him or something. Then there were some monsters in the forests, some teens who told us more, but not enough to go off on."

"Hmm," Sans said, thinking. "Alright, I can buy that."

"But what do you know about him?" Frisk began. "I mean… you must know something about him, right?"

Sans stared at her in silence, as if he was unsure how to proceed.

"So how do I put this," he began. "Well… I can't tell you kiddo."

"Can't tell us what?" Frisk asked.

"About Mickey," Sans answered. "I can't tell you anything about him. Sorry."

"Oh come on!" Flowey said with clear frustration. "How in the world do you not know about Mickey? You know practically everything that happens down here."

"It's not that," Sans said. "In fact, I know plenty about him. But I can't tell you. Not any of it, sorry."

"Why not?" Frisk asked.

"Well I'm afraid I can't give you a satisfying answer to that either," Sans said.+

Frisk began to grow slightly frustrated. She felt like she was running in circles, trying to catch something that always seemed to be close, yet always turned out to be farther than she thought.

"You're not afraid of him, are you?" Flowey suddenly asked.

"Pfft, of course not," Sans said.

"Uh-huh," Flowey said, unconvinced. "Then why won't you tell us eh?"

The skeletons face turned pale again, pale as a dead man's face could be.

"Well truth be told," he began. "What I meant to say was… it's not my life I am afraid for."

Frisk felt her frustration vane at that response. Only slightly, but still in some essence.

"Oh," she simply replied.

"Who's life then?" Flowey inquired. "Your brother's?"

"Maybe," Sans replied. "But I am sure there are others in town. Others, that are… maybe not so happy with either their lives or others. And considering the state of this place, you might find them surprisingly plentiful."

"Hmmm," Frisk replied.

She stood there on the road looking at the bloated skeleton, who's weird smile, slowly but surely crept up again. Then she gave out a short, but clear yawn. As she did, Frisk felt that the tiredness was finally getting to her

"So anyway's," she said after she finished yawning. "Flowey said that there was an inn here somewhere in town. I'm guessing that place is out of the table."

"You're guessing right then," Sans added. "The inn went out of business, what, two years ago? Maybe longer. Replaced by a free homeless shelter and charity by the owner and her sister. Hell, we even passed the place a short while ago."

Frisk gave out a short, but clearly disappointed sigh.

"Figures…" she muttered.

"What businesses are even left standing here?" Flowey asked, looking around in shock.

"Well there's Grillby's," Sans said and pointed up at the wide building they were standing by.

It was a dirty, torn down building the size of a normal house, with a large broken sign that clearly used to spell "Grillby".

"Then there is also the library," Sans continued. "Still don't know how that place is still around honestly."

"But what about the newspaper businesses?" Flowey pried. "Or the orphanage?"

"Oh yeah, the orphanage is also still standing, although barely," Sans said. "Not in the greatest condition now and most of the kids there have moved to the homeless shelter, as its cheaper and has a better service. As for SNPB? Yeah, that's been gone a long time. They don't even have newspapers in town here anymore."

"Do you, uh, think the shelter could still spare us a room?" Frisk asked. "I haven't slept for like 24 hours and I'm frigging exhausted."

"Ehhhh," Sans began and smiled apologetically. "Sorry kiddo, but I doubt it. I think the owners have their hands full today. In fact, they always do. They currently have like half the town living there these days."

"We can still check though, right?" Flowey asked. "Even sleeping on a dirty floor seems better than on a snow-covered street."

"Sure you can," Sans said. "Just don't expect much. Besides, if there is spare space, then it's most likely being kept for someone less fortunate. No offence… or rather, no opposite of offence in this case."

"Ugh," Flowey said and rolled his eyes.

"I guess that makes sense," Frisk said, almost muttering.

"Of course, you could always stay at my place," Sans added.

Frisk felt a sudden shock from that offer and felt a tinge of unease grow at the consideration of it. She also didn't miss Flowey's sudden shaking.

"Me and my brother's place I mean," Sans continued. "We live at the edge of town and we have some spare room, food and even some spare mattresses and blankets-"

"Oh no!" Flowey quickly said. "No, no, no! Frisk, we are NOT gonna stay a whole day hanging out with this… annoying, unfunny trash bag!"

"It'll, uh, just be a few hours at most," Frisk replied, still uneasy.

"Oh, so you are considering it?!" Flowey replied. 2Geez Frisk, after all the things we've been through?! Are you really gonna betray me like that?!"

Frisk heard a few whispers coming from the townsfolk around them, and when she looked up, she saw more than a few prying eyes.

"God, can you calm down with the melodrama Flowey?" Frisk said. "Some of these monsters are staring at us right now. In case you didn't know, we're trying to look inconspicuous."

She smiled and waved awkwardly to the prying monsters.

"Uh, hi there," she said clumsily.

"I mean you don't have to take my offer," Sans added.

"Yeah, I appreciate it," Frisk said. "But sorry. I think we should check out other options first."

"Oh, don't be sorry, I get it," Sans replied. "Not many people can handle my hilarious jokes after all."

Flowey rolled his eyes while Frisk chuckled lightlyþ

"It's not really that," Frisk replied. "Ok, it's that… nevermind."

"Can't stand hearing the flower whine all the time?" Sans asked.

"Hey!" Flowey said, insulted.

"No it's-" Frisk began.

"Eh, it's fine by me," Sans added. "Welp, I guess we'd be parting now. But my offer still stands though, if you decide to change your mind later."

"Don't count on it," Flowey said.

With that, Frisk watched as the chubby skeleton walked away from them, his back facing them. Once he was far away enough so that his distant figure could fit in Frisk palm, Flowey gave out a short sigh of relief.

"Thanks for that Frisk," he said. "Even though you only did it to stop me from whining."

"It's not that," Frisk replied.

"Yeah, yeah, you're so sweet," Flowey replied.

"I'm serious," Frisk replied. "And no offence, but it's got nothing to do with you. It's just that I… I still don't really trust that guy."

"You mean Sans?" Flowey said and chuckled. "That sounds funnier than any "joke" that guy's made so far. Because if I, of all creatures, say he's trustworthy despite my obvious… distaste for him, then you have to be either deaf or really paranoid, and the latter would surprise me greatly considering you always went headfirst into strange noises in the woods."

"Eh, this is different because… because of… of Gaster," Frisk answered.

"Hmm," Flowey replied.

"Because he's the son of this Gaster," Frisk continued. "Y'know, the creep. The scientist guy. The one I dreamt of."

"You're still scared of him?" Flowey asked with slight surprise. "You haven't even met him. I think."

"Frankly, I don't even know why I am scared og him," Frisk confessed. "I just… am."

"Well, I think Sans doesn't like his dad either," Flowey answered. "Don't think anyone does."

"Sure," Frisk said. "But it's just that… I don't know. I know about the whole don't judge a guy by his parents kinda thing, but I just can't help it. Every time I look at that guy, he just… reminds me of him. Of my nightmare. So yeah, this Sans guy kinda creeps me out."

"You seemed to be good at hiding it then," Flowey replied and smiled. "Honestly, call me crazy or selfish, but it all seems to point that you're simply doing this for me."

"No I'm-!" Frisk began before stopping herself. "Nevermind. Let's just go check out this inn or shelter or whatever now."

"Hmm, yeah let's," Flowey said.

With that, she turned around and headed back in her steps.

"So the skeleton said we passed it," Frisk said. "Hope you remember where the place is. Or was rather."

"Sorry, I wish I could help you two but I can't," the donkey monster behind the counter said.

"Seriously?" Flowey protested. "Are you frigging kidding me?"

For a shelter that was supposed to be able to accommodate about half the town, the place in question was surprisingly small. It was clear that this place was simply a refurbished, wooden inn, that had been merged, although clumsily, with a neighbouring house, possibly as a makeshift attempt to fit more rooms without having to actually build them, possibly because of monetary reasons.

The counter by the entrance resembled one from a motel on the surface and was mostly made of cheap, used wood that had clearly seen better days. Then there was a torn red sofa by the outside door, and the light bulb above that kept flickering wildly. Frisk was able to glance a bit at the sleeping rooms behind the counter, where uncontrollable chatter and cries merged. From what she could see, Frisk felt that the word "cramped" was perhaps not a strong enough descriptor for this situation. Each of the rooms she saw had occupied bunk beds by each wall, monsters sleeping on the floor, and a drunkard here and there, all of whom were struggling, yelling and some even thrashing for more space.

Behind the wooden counter stood a strange monster resembling a donkey standing on two feet and with a lime coloured mane, possibly artificial. He was wearing nothing but torn jeans and a dirty, white tank top, highlighting the unattractive skinniness of his seemingly meatless body, and his face was so tired and crumpled from stress and sleeplessness that despite being just a young adult, the donkey monster could be easily mistaken for a senior by someone who wouldn't know any better.

"I am not _frigging kidding you_ , flower," he said tiredly. "We are literally full. Sorry."

"We can just sleep on the floor," Frisk said. "I mean, I don't think we really need to have pillows or anything."

"Sorry lady, but I meant that we are _literally_ full," the donkey replied. "As in almost every inch of this place is taken, so unless you want to sleep on top of someone or perhaps under, then you best go someplace else. And it's not just a problem of space, as there's also the food, the heat-"

"We're just gonna rest here a few hours," Frisk said. "We can live without food."

"Great, but I can't say the same about the heat," the donkey continued. "Or lack thereof of rather. We have literally had a few monsters die from hypothermia some nights, and judging by your clothing and lack of fur, really don't think you'll last the night unless you know of any powerful heat magic we've never discovered. Plus, plenty of the guys and gals here are loud snorers, so even if the rest wasn't an issue, I doubt you'd get any proper rest either way if that's what you're looking for. If you ask me, I think Grillby's is a much better place to stay."

"Great…" Frisk muttered.

The rebellious, and tired parts of her wanted to protest, but she just managed to stop herself. She decided there was no point in making a scene. Flowey, on the other hand, seemed to show little to no restraint.

"Look, mister," the flower began. "I don't know why or when Isabell decided to make you the owner of this place-"

"I'm… not the owner," the donkey said. "At least not regularly. I just work here you see, and currently, I'm taking over for a while. While she's away. The owner I mean."

"Oh, where is she then?" Flowey asked, sounding more demanding rather than requesting. "Let us know we can go tell her in person that she shouldn't be abandoning her job like that when there could be people in need!"

"She's… busy attending a funeral," the donkey answered.

"Oh," Flowey said, sounding a bit disappointed in himself. "Alright I… guess that's… understandable then."

"When do you think she'll be back?" Frisk asked the donkey monster.

"I don't know," he answered. "Maybe in 3 hours in the least."

"3 hours?" Flowey exclaimed. "The heck are we supposed to do until then."

The donkey monster gave out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, flower," the donkey said. "I have no idea. I am just doing my job and frankly, I don't think miss Isabell will say anything different either. If I were you, I'd just drop it ok? Sorry, but we are packed for now."

"Alright," Flowey said, sounding a bit more understanding, although reluctant to be. "In that case, when do you think that this place will have room."

"Don't know," the donkey answered. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Flowey exclaimed. "But I don't think we aren't even gonna stay that long in town!"

"Look, I wish I could help but this is just how it is," the donkey answered, sounding tired and mildly frustrated. "Now I'm sure there are other monsters around town willing to spare a room. If not Grillby, then most likely those two skeleton brothers. They're the sons of Gaster y' know? I'm sure they have a lot of room and cash to spare."

"Oh don't you dare suggest those two doofuses-" Flowey began.

Before he could finish his tirade, Frisk had placed one palm in front of his mouth, shutting him up.

"Alright, let's just go Flowey," Frisk said, sounding almost as tired and frustrated as the donkey.

She looked up at him, who seemed very grateful for her gagging him.

"Look, I'm sorry about my, uh, friend here," she said to the donkey monster. "He's not usually like this. I think. He's just in a lot of shock right now and… yeah sorry."

"Mhmm," the donkey simply said with a hint of annoyance.

Still holding her mouth over the flower whose face turned red as he made feeble muffled protests, Frisk used her other loose hand to adjust her bag clumsily and headed out the door. Once she finally did, she heard the donkey behind her give out a breath of relief.

"Jesus christ Flowey," she said as finally removed her palm.

"Gah!" Flowey exclaimed. "Gods! What the hell- I mean what the _heck_ Frisk?"

"Look I've had to deal with people like that," Frisk began. "I mean like you. The way you were acting, and trust me, it's not fun to be on the other end of that. In that… donkey guys shoes."

"Ugh, alright, fine," Flowey said bitterly like an angry kid caught lying. "Maybe I did go a bit… overboard with that, and I'm sorry, but you saw that guy right?! It wasn't like he was any better now was he?"

"How was he-?!" Frisk began before dropping it. "Look. I know you don't like to hear it, but maybe he was right. There are plenty of places here that haven't crumbled yet. There must be some here willing to give us a room to rest."

"Yeah and then they'll rob us and or kill us while we sleep," Flowey began.

"Gee and you said I was paranoid," Frisk said.

The flower then gave out a short sigh, the sigh of someone who had reached a final, dreadful resort.

"Guess we'll just have to sleep at the skele-bros after all, huh?" he said.

"What?" Frisk replied, beginning to sound nervous again. "Oh, we don't have to if-"

"No, no," Flowey began. "I may not be able to stand the older one, or even the younger one at times, but they are at least trustworthy. The only monsters in town that I trust. That I can recall that is. Well, maybe except for Grillby and his lot, but it's been a few years and unlike him, the skele-bros are at least predictable."

"Umm, alright," Frisk said, clearly feeling uneasy still. "But before that I uh… let's just look around. Just for a bit."

"Wait, seriously?" Flowey asked and chuckled. "Are you really telling me you're enamoured by this shi- I mean dirt hole?"

"Ehh," Frisk began. "Not really. It… doesn't look great, but umm, I dunno."

She looked once more around the town, at the saddened state of the monsters. Then, she saw something, something that suddenly brought back a sense of wonder, and made her realized why she wanted to stay a bit. What Frisk merely saw, was one unfortunate monster, a starved, anorexic cow monster in torn clothes, walk up to a pile of logs in a ruined house, and then just casually lighting it on fire without even touching it like it was nobodies business. At that moment, despite still feeling sorry for the state of the place and it's inhabitants, she felt also felt a spark of awe return as she was just reminded of where she was, of the unbelievable reality of this place.

"Well, maybe I am a bit… enamoured," she began with slight but growing enthusiasm. "I mean, why wouldn't I be? This may not mean much to you but look around. These are all frigging monsters. Creatures that for the longest time I've believed to be from myths. From fairytales even. And not to mention, all the frigging magic. It just… it kinda feels awesome in a way."

"Hmm, I'll be sure to let these monsters know that," Flowey said sarcastically as he watched a drunk and dirty bear monster dig through a trash can. "I'm sure they'll appreciate your gesture."

"Yeah, I just realized that what I said may have been inconsiderate," Frisk said. "I just can't help it. This is all so weird and… incredible I guess. I… now that I think about it… I kinda wanna see more."

"You're a weird girl," Flowey said. "Whatever. I'm up for exploring a bit. Just any excuse to be away from the skeleton brothers for a longer period of time is fine by me. Where do you want to start?"

"Hmm," Frisk said, thinking. "Well… I think Sans mentioned something about a library here. I really wanna check it out."

"Oh, so you're a bookworm eh?" Flowey asked.

"Pfft, no," Frisk answered. "I don't even read much in fact, except in class. Last time I fully read a book on my own must've like 8 years ago or something. But this is different. Because monsters and magic are involved. Hell, now that I think of it, including monsters and magic into basically anything makes it instantly better."

"I don't really think I'll understand your kind," Flowey stated bluntly.

"But if it's still standing as Sans said," Frisk continued. "Then there must be a shit ton of things to learn. All the history and stories of this world, the cultures and… my god, I just want to absorb it all right now."

"Eh, I think we'd better not take to long," Flowey said. "I really don't want to be here much longer. Now I just want to rest, and get out of town as quickly as possible."

"Why what's wrong?" Frisk said, noting the sudden urgency in his tone. "Is it the skeleton brothers or-"

"It's not because of them," Flowey said. "Ok, it kinda is, but mostly not- whatever. It's just that… now that I'm looking at this town, I kinda… I'm kinda starting to feel… to feel…"

"Sad?" Frisk asked.

"Oh, no, no," Flowey said unconvincingly. "I… I don't feel sad. Not even a bit. Don't even think about it."

"It… it's alright to admit you feel sad," Frisk said. "I mean, I do and I don't even know this town. What? Are you afraid I'll laugh at you again like back in the forest?"

Flowey didn't say anything. Just stared down at the snow-covered road like she knew the answer.

"That was different," Frisk said. "I mean, it was still kind of a dick move and I'm sorry, but I was laughing because I was surprised not because you were scared. Like, if you truly feel sad here I won't judge you."

"Really?" Flowey said unenthusiastically while still looking at the ground.

"Yes," Frisk answered.

Still looking away, Flowey gave a short sigh.

"Alright, fine," Flowey said. "Perhaps I feel a teensy bit sad but… no, wait. T-that shouldn't be possible. I shouldn't be able to feel sad. I… I… what's going on? Why do I feel this? I'm not supposed to be able to feel any of this. Why am I…?"

"What are you talking about Flowey?" Frisk asked, worryingly.

"Nothing," he answered, sounding somewhat teary. "Nothing I…"

He sighed and closed his eyes for a bit.

"Let's just get to the stupid library, ok?" he then said. "I really can't stand to look at this town much longer. The library is to our left and has a large, misspelt sign the last I remember. We won't miss it."

"Hmm, alright," Frisk said, feeling a tinge of worrying suspicions.

With that said, she with her companion in her bag, began to walk down the snow-covered road to her left.

* * *

Late author's note:

So yeah, if you are one of the two peoples or less that give a crap about the author's notes... yeah, sorry about the late notes.

But anyway, here we are in Snowdin, the town that is, which might be farther than where most fanfics get to if I were to brag. Now, this is a chapter/arc I have been looking forward to writing because here is where the major deviation from the standard UT AU route begins. I have teased that a lot of the fic will involve new areas of the underground never seen in the game, and I have so many ideas I am excited to develop. There will also be new characters and monster types... god I am excited.

This is also a short chapter, and it was originally going to be much longer, but then I decided to split it in two... bla, bla, bla.

But I will say ahead that there might be a slight delay, as usual, NOT with the next chapter, but the one after. I ain't gonna spoil, but I will say that that chapter will involve some pretty heavy subjects which will be revealed at the end of the next chapter as a sort of cliffhanger- whoops, I am saying too much.

Anyways, I'll see you soon my readers. The next chapter will most likely be out next week, but I am terrible at promising those things so... let's just hope for the best.


	18. Snowdin Part 2

**Snowdin - Part 2**

"Is this the place?" Frisk asked sceptically.

"Yep, this is the place," Flowey confirmed.

They had only walked a few minutes before reaching it, as the town wasn't half as big as it looked from afar. The building they stood in front of wasn't much different from the other ones in the neighbourhood, or even in this town, being only one floor, with colourless walls and windows filled with holes and torn wallpapers. Inside the front windows, which were, strangely enough, the finest part of the building, they could see a dark room dimly lit with old fashioned candles strewn about, and only a few bookcases carrying few books. The small space of the house in question mixed with the lacklustre collection made Frisk wonder if this could even constitute as a library in this state. That is unless there was a basement level she couldn't see, as she dimly hoped there was.

"The Snowdin library, in all of its glory," Flowey continued. "Looks like they decided to remove the sign instead of just fixing its spelling error. Smart move. Really smart. But not really though. It's the equivalent of cutting off your hand to fix a papercut."

"I'm sure it looks much worse than you remember?" Frisk asked.

"Eh, not by much honestly," Flowey said. "I mean it was slightly better in that it had electricity and other things, but I'm more surprised that it's still standing. I would've assumed it would be one of the first establishments to go, especially since barely anyone reads books down here anymore. Or at least, not since the last time I was here."

"Yeah, not reading books anymore is not just a monster thing," Frisk said.

"Anyway," Flowey continued. "This place wasn't the best, even before this town went to shi- I mean, to the trash. Sorry."

"Hey, that reminds me," Frisk began. "I've been meaning to ask. What's with your constant unease about cursing? You know I don't mind that shit."

"Oh trust me, I've noticed that," Flowey said. "But honestly, I'm not really sure why I do. I guess it's just an old habit I have. Or maybe it's related to something I-"

"WATCH OUT!" cried out from close by an unfamiliar kid's voice.

"What the fu-" Frisk began as she turned towards the voice

Before she could finish, or even react properly, she felt something large painfully bump into her stomach, causing her to lose her balance completely. The only thing Frisk saw was that it seemed to resemble a yellowish blur the size of a small child.

As she fell on her back into the snow, almost crushing the backpack with Flowey and breaking the empty alcohol bottle she got from Gyftrot, she felt great pain in her abdomen from the sudden heavy force. It was as if someone kicked her in the stomach. But as the pain quickly faded and Frisk came to, she, sitting upwards in the snow, could now see the little surprise attacker in all their glory

Laying down opposite on the ground of her was what seemed to be a small, dizzy monster kid. It resembled a small yellow dinosaur, or at least similar to how humans viewed dinosaurs back when it was thought they had scales instead of feathers, and they had roves of white, small spikes covering the top of its head which stopped by what looked like a youthful yet androgynous reptilian face. The kid wore a long, sleeveless shirt with yellow and brown stripes that was covered in lots of tearings and dirt, and Frisk couldn't tell if the kid even had arms or if they were simply hidden underneath their clothes.

The kid, who Frisk still wasn't sure was a boy or a girl, then looked at her and smiled an embarrassing smile.

"Gah, watch where you're friggin going, kiddo!" Frisk exclaimed.

"Sorry miss," the monster kid said apologetically as they stood up using just their legs.

"Woah, what in the blasted world just happened?" Flowey asked, dizzy and bewildered.

"I… I was sliding down the ice," the monster kid said, apologetically. "I'm sorry. I… I didn't even notice you until it was too late, and I-"

Then, as Frisk stood back up, the kid's face suddenly lit up in awe.

"Yo!" they exclaimed, sounding surprisingly mesmerised. "you're an ape monster."

"Umm… yeah so?" Frisk replied, playing along as best she could.

"You must be from Apetown then," the monster kid continued. "That's so far away. If you are here, then that must mean that you've seen like half the underground."

"Huh," Frisk said while dusting off some snow on her sleeves. "I kinda figured that they- sorry, we ape monsters were a somewhat common sight in this town."

"Well, I don't know where you've heard that," the monster kid said. "There haven't been ape monsters living in this town for, like, years. Won't blame them. This town kinda sucks."

"Yeah, I figured that," Frisk said. "No offence."

"But you're new," the monster kid said. "I heard your kind often travels a lot. Wanderers my parents called you. Is that true?"

"I sure have," Frisk said, somewhat dismissively. "Anyway, it was nice meeting you kiddo, but my friend and I have to go. We need to do some, uh… ape monster business."

"W-wait, don't go," the monster kid said as Frisk began to walk away. "Can you tell me about the outside world? Have you seen any cool warriors? Cool cities or… or any awesome magic? Please? Most ape monsters walk past this town, and… and I haven't seen one in years."

Frisk sighed audibly and stopped in her tracks.

"Look kiddo," she said, her back to the kid. "I am busy and dreadfully tired. So can you please just leave me and my friend alone for now? If you really want to know more about the outside world, then just to leave town by yourself for a bit ok?"

"My… my mom never lets me leave the town," the monster kid answered, sorrowfully. "Especially after what happened to my… other mom."

"Oh," Frisk expressed, feeling a tinge of growing guilt.

She turned around and saw the kid stare down on the ground in a melancholy manner.

"Well umm… I'm sorry," Frisk continued. "But I uh… I don't time now. I wish I could speak but… maybe later. Perhaps tomorrow I'll meet up with you and tell you some stories. Of the outside, that is. I promise."

"Hmm, ok," the kid said, still with a hint of sadness.

 _Geez, I hope I didn't ruin that kid's day_ , Frisk thought.

Without wanting to make this situation go on any longer, Frisk turned back around and headed towards the library. Before opening the library's front door, she sneaked one last look at the monster kid and felt herself see a hopeful expression rise subtly on their reptilian face before the kid then proceeded to run away, making Frisk feel slightly better, although she wasn't sure if she could keep the promise.

She tried not to think about it and instead put her focus on the library she was standing in. The look from inside didn't turn out much better, unsurprisingly. In fact, it seemed to be even smaller and more cramped, with an oversized wooden square table in the centre, and several bookcases covering almost every wall that didn't have a window. The place wasn't even big enough for a bookstore on the surface. There wasn't even a visible basement level as Frisk feebly hoped.

Now that she was inside, breathing the unclean, dust-filled air, Frisk realized something was missing from that dialogue she just had with the kid. Something snarky.

"Seriously Flowey?" she asked her companion. "You had no comment back there?"

"Oh, uh, no," Flowey answered. "I've never been particularly good with kids. Didn't want to come across as rude to them."

"Wait really?" Frisk said, sounding surprised as if Flowey just confessed he was actually a girl the whole time.

"Uhh, yeah," Flowey said once again with confusion. "How is that surprising? I don't even remember what I was like when I myself was a kid. If I even were one that is."

"No, it's not that," Frisk said. "I'm just surprised you… tolerated them."

"Why wouldn't I tolerate them?" Flowey replied and his tone of confusion began to be replaced by a tinge of annoyance.

"I just didn't expect you to be the type that's able to tolerate kids," Frisk said. "Kinda expected the opposite in fact. No offence."

"Oh, come now," Flowey said, now undoubtedly insulted. "Did you just assume something about me? That's just rude. I don't hate kids. I don't even hate everyone in fact."

"I know I'm… sorry," Frisk said.

"Hmm, alright," Flowey said, still sounding mildly insulted. "Apology accepted. Just for you though, because I'm liking you."

"Aww," Frisk said cheekily.

"Don't push it," Flowey quickly replied.

Frisk looked around the mostly empty library and finally noticed the monster standing behind the counter, staring silently at them, like a stuffed animal or mannequin.

"Gah!" Frisk expressed and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Jesus."

The monster resembled a green, anthropomorphic reptile, with slightly broken glasses but dressed in much finer clothes, or at least they were fine enough compared to most of the inhabitants in town, and despite being almost skinny to the bone, he gave off the aura of complete control and authority like he was the master of a great house or a family.

His yellow, reptilian eyes stared unblinking behind his glasses that were attached with duck tapes taped to his head, most likely done due to his lack of ears. But it was clearly still alive, thankfully, as Frisk could tell by his slow but hard breathing through his nostrils.

"Uh… hi?" she said awkwardly.

"Who are you?!" the lizard suddenly asked quickly and with surprising hostility.

"Uhh," Frisk began, lightly startled. "We are-"

"I've never seen you before, girl!" the lizard interrupted in a quick manner. "And you, flower, I've not seen you here in years!"

"Yeah, about that-" Flowey began.

"Why are you back here?!" the librarian continued, sounding like an interrogator. "After all this time, why decide to come back to town now?! And why come to this library in particular?! Are you after something here?! After me maybe?! And also, who is this new friend of yours!?"

"Oh she's just-" Flowey began.

"I see she's an ape monster!" the lizard interrupted. "Shaved, like they say Mickey is! A bit convenient, don't you think?! Almost like she looks up to him or something?!"

"Wait, what do you know about-" Frisk began.

"Nothing!" the lizard said, slightly more anxiously. "I have no dirt on him if that's what you think! Why are you asking me though?! Do you think I have some info on him, huh?! Did he hire you to come here?!"

"I don't-" Frisk began.

"Why is she here Flower?!" the lizard asked Flowey in a demanding manner. "What business would an ape monster have in this town?!"

"I'm just a tourist!" Frisk said, beginning to feel annoyed.

"Really now?!" the lizard asked, sceptically. "Yeah, right! No-one in their right mind would come to Snowdin as a tourist unless they had a pretty good reason! What are you really after here, girl?!"

"I'm not after goddam anything!" Frisk exclaimed. "I'm just passing through this town! God!"

"Uh-huh!" the lizard expressed with doubt. "And what are you hiding in that pink bag of yours?! Weapons?! Recorders?! Or is it maybe something like-"

"Can you please shut the **hell** up?!" Flowey angrily blurted out. "Uhh, heck up I mean. Whatever. She's just a tourist alright? Both of us are just tourists. I personally have no ill will towards you, and if she did, I would have long noticed it by now, trust me. Now unless you want to lose some valuable customers you might need in this impoverished trash pile of a town, then you'd better calm. The. Heck. Down."

Flowey's sudden outburst seemed to have worked, as the anxious lizard librarian turned as quiet as a rock, immediately after Flowey closed his mouth. But it was clear the lizard was not entirely convinced yet, as the lizard eyes suddenly squinted behind the glasses and he eyed the flower quizzingly like he was trying to memorize every pore and leaf on Flowey's pistil.

"Alright," the lizard said, sounding mostly unconvinced. "If you say so…"

"Great," Flowey said and smiled. "Glad we could be a bit more understanding."

"But," the lizard added. "I will be watching and listening to everything you do, and if I hear or see anything mildly suspicious from either of you, believe me, I will not hesitate to throw you out immediately."

"Alright, jeez," Frisk said.

She gave a tired sigh and moved away from the counter, trying not to think about the lizard monster most likely staring at her back. It would have been more noticeable if the place wasn't the size of a small office lounge, but besides the presence of Frisk, Flowey and the librarian, the place was almost empty of life. There were also only a handful of shelves holding a handful of books, and two of the bookcases had even crumbled. So what Frisk could gather was that the total number of available books she could find in this "library" seemed to be small enough to fit just a single shelf.

 _Better than nothing I guess_ , Frisk thought.

After she had walked a few steps towards a random bookcase that hadn't crumbled yet, she turned her head around towards the librarian she was sure was still tailing her.

To her mild surprise, the lizard librarian had moved its gaze from her and to the window. Frisk guessed that judging from the seeming desperation in his eyes, he was either searching for someone, waiting for someone or both.

Frisk took a few extra steps away from him until she was sure her whispers wouldn't be heard.

" _Pendejo_ ," she then bitterly whispered very softly.

"What did you say?" Flowey asked.

" _Nothing_ ," Frisk whispered. " _Just called him an asshole I guess._ "

" _Hmm, yeah he was_ ," Flowey whispered back.

He and Frisk looked back at the librarian who while staring at the window began to bop and move his head around like a feral animal looking for insects on a wall to eat. She noticed that his hands were also shaking wildly, to the point where Frisk imagined that simply adjusting his glasses would be a challenge for him.

" _Is that guy usually like this_?" Frisk asked.

" _Don't think so,_ " Flowey said. " _At least, I don't remember ever seeing him like this before."_

" _I see_ ," Frisk said. " _So something must've happened to him_?"

" _That's must be it,_ " Flowey said agreeing. " _Something… bad_."

" _Like worse than what happened to most of this town_?" Frisk asked.

" _Guess so_ ," Flowey said. " _Can't begin to imagine what it could possibly be though. He's the most anxious person we have met in this town so far, that's saying a lot_."

" _Do you think he-_ " Frisk began.

She stopped her words as the lizard, without any warning, quickly turned his head around in a half-circle and looked at the duo with an intimidating expression.

"Hey what are you two whispering about?!" he yelled at the duo. "You think I can't hear you two?!"

"We were… whispering about nothing!" Frisk yelled back. "Just… random stuff!"

"Then why keep your voice down eh?!" the librarian replied with some snark. "It's almost like you don't want me to hear you two!"

"Because this is a library and we wanted to be polite!" Frisk replied, clearly frustrated. "Jesus…"

"Alright!" the librarian continued. "In that case, why not share your talk with me, eh?! If it's nothing bad, then what's the harm in telling?!"

"I-It was just unimportant stuff!" Frisk answered. "I've already forgotten like most of what I've said!"

"Aha, you hesitated for a bit!" the librarian exclaimed, sounding like he caught her in a lie. "Must mean you are hiding something!"

"I am not hiding anything you paranoid asshole!" Frisk exclaimed. "Jesus, why is this so important to you?!"

"Yeah, what's gotten into you, uh… Lenny, right?" Flowey said. "Seriously, why are you acting so crazy?! What the heck happened?!"

The lizard just stared at them like a hungry hawk, his yellow eyes squinting behind his glasses like it would help him see them better.

"Alrighty then, keep your secrets you two," he said. "But if I see or hear even just a tiny, just a _tiny_ speck of something suspicious, then I will personally come over there and drag you out of this building myself! And if you DARE to refuse or hell, even fight, then, believe me, I am not afraid to go so far as to… as to…"

"Go as far as to do what?" Frisk pried.

The lizard just stared at her, his snout shut tight. In a seemingly related manner, his expression had turned into that of sorrowful refusal like he wanted to evade speaking more in fear of his own words. Then, without even acknowledging her presence, he moved his gaze down towards the counter and placed his clawed hands across his head as if to hide his face.

" _Oh, what are you doing Leonard?_ " he muttered to himself. " _These are just kids. Harmless kids and tourists. They are not after you, they are just… no, no, no I can't risk it. Maybe The Hunt, uh, started hiring younger, or maybe they paid some orphans to spy on me or… wait, in that case, why wouldn't they just pay some kids from Snowdin? That would be less suspicious. I mean, then again, they look pretty well off and dressed and… well, not the ape girl though. Not perfectly at least. She only got one shoe on for instance, and-_ "

"Ok, he's just rambling to himself now," Frisk said, watching the librarian go on and on. "That's it. That guy has officially lost it."

"Says you, Miss chatterbox," Flowey replied snarkily. "Unless you're telling me you've long lost it as well back when you thought you were alone in the ruins."

"Fair point," Frisk said and shrugged.

She tried to ignore the sound of the librarian's panicked muttering as she turned to the bookcases. Up close, another let down she could see was that they were incredibly short, only being slightly taller than her. The few books on the shelves weren't in particularly good condition either, with torn dusty covers and rot even seeping into some pages. Some of the books even looked so poorly taken care of, that Frisk partly believed they would immediately turn to dust just as soon as she touched them.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Flowey began. "It's not like you've got many options here."

"I'm guessing the collection was much bigger the last you remember," Frisk said.

"Obviously yeah," Flowey answered. "It wasn't ever a grand collection, but at least all the shelves were full for the most time. Anyway, just pick the book that you think looks the prettiest or something, I don't care."

After a momentary examination, Frisk picked from the shelves the one she felt looked the least decayed. An average-sized, dark-green hardbound novel decorated in silver painted runes she couldn't even begin to decipher. The front cover was slightly torn, but besides that, it was mostly plain, with no visible title or anything of the sort, except for some strange, faint runes at the bottom. It was clearly a very old book, judging by the rough feel of the paper pages, the antique smell and old look of the hard-cover. That this looked the least decayed book while also paradoxically looking like the oldest of them, Frisk found hard to understand. Perhaps, as she momentarily considered, the lizard cared especially more for this book in comparison to all the others.

She stroked off some bits of dust from the cover, and opened up to a random page, just to see what to expect.

" _Shit_ ," Frisk cursed once she saw what was inside.

" _What's wrong_?" Flowey asked.

The pages were filled with lines and lines of strange writings in a seemingly alien language she had never seen before. Then she proceeded to flip through the pages haphazardly and saw disappointingly that every single page she opened to was filled with the same, foreign script.

" _I can't read any of this_ ," Frisk admitted.

" _What do you mean you can't read this_?" Flowey asked with slight surprise. " _This all seems readable to me_."

" _I mean I… I don't know this language_ ," Frisk said.

" _You mean common monster-speak_?" Flowey asked with a strange tone of surprise.

" _Yeah that or whatever,_ " Frisk replied and sighed in disappointment. " _God. Why did I not consider this before? Goddamn hindsight. I am so stupid. Obviously, a society isolated from humanity for god knows how long except for the occasional garbage wouldn't end up with the same language_."

" _Oh yeah_ ," Flowey said. " _So what? Do you want me to read this for you or-_?"

" _Nah, don't bother_ ," Frisk began. " _I guess I can just have someone-_ "

She stopped her words immediately for it was at that moment that she realized something she should've thought of long before, but didn't even glance at for some unknowable reason.

"Wait a minute," Frisk began. "How do we understand each other?"

"Excuse me?" Flowey asked as if that was the most bizarre question in the world.

"Flowey, what are we speaking?" Frisk asked. "Like at this moment?"

"We are speaking…umm, words?" Flowey answered in confusion.

"No, I meant like what language?" Frisk asked. "Like at this moment, right now, in what language am I speaking to you in?"

"Uhh, monster-tongue?" Flowey asked.

"Is… that a suggestion or-"

"No, I am pretty sure we are both speaking monster-tongue right now," Flowey answered.

"What?!" Frisk exclaimed.

"Alright, that's it," the paranoid lizard librarian exclaimed.

He then quickly left the counter and walked hastily towards Frisk and Flowey, eyesights focus on them, unblinking, and looking like they were full of hate.

"Uhh, sorry?" Frisk said to Leonard as soon as he came up to her.

Before she could react, the lizard strongly grasped her wrist and attempted to drag her.

"Hey, what are you-" Frisk began.

She stood strong and unmoving in her spot and seized the monsters grasping, scaly claw with her own loose hands.

"Get out," the lizard said loudly. "Out of this library, now!"

"Let go of me!" Frisk exclaimed. "Let. Me. GO!"

And without much effort, she freed herself easily from his grasp and pushed him away. Lenny backed a few steps, looking shocked at her surprising strength.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Frisk exclaimed. "We haven't done anything!"

"Not yet!" the lizard said. "But the way you've been whispering... you really think I'm an idiot, don't you?!"

"Uhh, yeah!" Flowey replied. "Is this seriously how you treat all your customers?! Just look at yourself, Lenny."

The lizard stared at the duo for a while, and his panicky expression began to fade and be replaced by a hint of regret. Meanwhile, Frisk just sighed audibly. She had enough and began to head out.

"Fuck it," she said. "Flowey, let's get out of here."

"Look, it's not personal ok?" Lenny said apologetically after her. "I'm-I'm sorry but… but I just can't risk it with how things are here and-"

"Yeah, yeah," Frisk said dismissively.

Without batting an eye, she opened the front door and went outside without closing, letting the soft blow of the wind do that work for her.

"Well that was something," Flowey said as they now stood once again in the middle of the snow-covered street.

"Ugh, whatever," Frisk said in an annoyed manner. "It was not like I was gonna be able to read anything in there."

"Well, to be fair," Flowey began. "I think there were a couple of books there written in human-speak."

"Yeah, yeah- wait, did you say human-speak?" Frisk asked back

"That's right," Flowey answered. "Writing novels in human-alphabet was a trend with monster writers for a while. Still is in some circles. I mean, when your kind has lived in such a relatively small world for over several millennia, you kinda start to run out of things to do."

"That's… not why I'm confused," Frisk asked, sounding almost as bewildered as when Flowey first spoke in the ruins. "I meant to ask… what I was gonna say…god, I have like a billion more questions right now. Like, what do you mean by human-speak, and why and how the hell am I speaking in a monster language right now?"

"Ok, first things first," Flowey began. "Human-speak is what monsters call, well, what you humans speak."

"As in?" Frisk pried.

"As in the language and writing you have," he continued. "Why, what do you humans call it?"

"Umm, English I guess?" Frisk began. "I don't know, we humans have like a trillion different languages on the surface."

"Oh," Flowey said with mild surprise. "Yeah, that's… why in the world didn't I consider that?"

"But in this country," Frisk continued. "It's mostly English that's spoken. So to me, I guess I am speaking English now. But, how would monsters know what that language is like in the first place?"

"Well…" Flowey began. "I think it's more like the closest we managed. So you remember when I told you about the fact that so much human garbage flows down here? Well since like, 90 per cent of that garbage contains at least a modicum of writing, some clever monsters managed to find some patterns in the placements of letters and such, and soon after, some even more clever monsters managed to recreate an alphabet of sorts. Or at least the best they could. Helps that one or more unknowingly helpful donors keep dumping whole videotapes and such down here, often with hours worth of content."

"Uhh, ok," Frisk said. "But what I am more curious about is… am I seriously speaking in your language right now?"

"Well… yeah," Flowey answered.

"Ok, but how about now?" Frisk asked in the best Spanish she knew. "Do you understand me now?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Flowey asked, mildly confused as if nothing about her speech changed.

"Ok wow, that's kinda freaky," Frisk said, sounding mildly uneasy. "What about uh… now, do you… know I... understand?"

Flowey turned to her with pure confusion on his face.

"Did you just have a stroke something?" Flowey asked.

"I was trying to speak some Mandarin," Frisk said. "I'm not really good at that language, but I know some words and things from several of my relatives who speak it."

"That's a weird name for a language," Flowey said. "Are many human languages named after fruits or…?"

Frisk snickered a bit from that response and shook her head in mild amusement.

"Seriously though," she then said. "How am I speaking your language?"

"To be brutally honest," Flowey began. "I don't know. And I don't think my ignorance is due to a memory loss this time. I think I just never bothered to find out."

"Why not?" Frisk asked.

"Well I'm sure you've figured you're not the first human down here," Flowey explained. "And just like you, all the other humans were able to understand us. Me and monsters that is. I guess I just assumed that it was normal, that we all just happened to share similar, if not the same language."

"So it's magic?" Frisk suggested.

"Yeah, most likely," Flowey said. "If all else fails or doesn't make sense, it's magic. It doesn't need to explain more."

Frisk smiled and chuckled. Then she turned her head around and managed to see through the library window behind her, where the lizard librarian was watching her intently behind his counter with paranoid, suspicious-looking eyes, and Frisk's newfound smile quickly faded. So she took a few steps away to the side until she was sure she was out of his uncomfortable gaze.

"So… do you still wanna check around town?" Flowey suggested. "Maybe we can get some info about Mickey or the Hunt."

"Yeah possibly," Frisk said tiredly. "But right now, I mostly just want to-"

Before she could finish her words, she noticed the nearby presence of another strange figure, walking by the bookstore with big, strong footsteps. Once she saw him, or at least what she was almost sure was a "he", Frisk felt her train of thoughts immediately halter.

"Holy…" she muttered.

"Frisk, what are you… oh…" Flowey said before he managed to look at what she was gazing at.

Once he did, he also became worldless as well but to a much lesser extent and more due to a sense of confusion rather than awe.

Walking on the street in front of them was a large, humanoid rabbit monster of great height and mass, with bulging muscles and the healthy physique of a bodybuilder, making him stand out incredibly like he was an animalistic god amongst the rest of the small and scrawny rabbits in town. He walked proudly with the posture and finesse of a seasoned hero figure, adding, perhaps unintentionally, another sense of comparative privilege to his clean and kempt look. Another thing that stood out was the cleanliness in his modern-looking clothes, being a plain blue wool shirt underneath a brown winter jacket alongside some fitting brown trousers and white shoes, all of which neatly compilated his white fur and green eyes. Finally, in what seemed like a token used to dispel any doubt of warrior prowess, there hung on his back a scabbard holding a massive sword, almost half the size of Frisk herself.

This humongous rabbit paid no heed to the staring duo, either intentionally or not, as he noiselessly went into the library where he had to crouch just to fit through the door. It was a clumsy affair, as for a moment his scabbard got stuck in the door frame, but after a few seconds, he got through.

"Holy crap," Frisk said as she stared at him through the window. "Look at the frigging beef on that rabbit."

"Hey, I actually remember that guy," Flowey replied. "That's, uh, RG 01. What in the world is he doing all the way down here in Snowdin though?"

"Who is this… RG 01?" Frisk asked curiously.

"Well, for starters he was a member of The Royal Guard once," Flowey explained. "That was the name for the precursor group to The Royal Hunt. Don't remember his actual name at the moment, but he was often called RG 01 or Royal Guard 01. Not because he was the first Royal Guardsman or anything, but because of long, overly complicated series of misunderstandings involving tourists, a broken pencil and a dose of insomnia I think."

"My God," Frisk said, unable to move her eyes from the large and muscular monster. "That is, without a doubt, the beefiest rabbit I've ever seen."

"Don't tell me you have a crush on him," Flowey said, somewhat teasingly but also with a surprisingly mild bitterness.

"What?" Frisk said, sounding mildly insulted, and turned her eyes towards Flowey, finally breaking the dazzling spell. "No, I don't have a crush on him or... anything. I don't even know that guy. This is just unusual for me. Rabbits, or at least rabbits where I'm from, aren't supposed to be that… built."

"Mmhm," Flowey replied in a cheeky tone.

It was then that Frisk looked around and saw that she and Flowey weren't the only ones in town that showed more than a single glance towards this monster. But unlike Frisk and Flowey, the other gazes, the one from the townsfolk, showed more contempt or fear rather than awe or confusion, and many hurried in their steps to get away faster. Frisk even saw one feeble looking monster lady even fearfully covering the eye of what appeared to be her child.

"Whatever," Frisk simply said back to Flowey. "But seriously though, do you think that guy knows Mickey perhaps? Or maybe something about the Royal Hunt?"

"Possibly," Flowey answered. "A few ex-members of The Guard ended up joining The Hunt. Not all but some, but I don't think we should take any chances now. We don't really know that guy's allegiance yet, so if you would heed my advice, please don't go do your usual head-first-into-danger thing by just waltzing up to him and ask questions ok?"

"You really think I would do that?" Frisk said and lightly chuckled.

"Uhh, yeah?" Flowey replied as if it was the most obvious answer.

Frisk ignored his snark as she proceeded to slowly walk up by the walls of the library as silently as she could. Eventually, she reduced to crouching underneath the windowsill, seemingly by instinct, not really bothering to care how silly her crab walk looked to outsiders. On the other hand, Flowey began to grow red from a sense of embarrassment, as only he was able to notice the growing number of prying eyes on the duo while Frisk had all her attention focused on crouching towards the store. He said nothing though, as fortunately, none of the poor monsters paid more than a little heed on it, with most of them shrugging it off as being just a weird ape monster thing.

Once Frisk was up to the walls and could not go a step further, she peaked up to look through the window above, and from her angle, managed to get a decent look at the other end. To her surprise, the paranoid librarian managed to look even more frightened than ever, as she seemed to stare stunned in fear at a spot in the library, unseeable from her angle, but Frisk figured he was most likely looking at the beefy white rabbit.

" _Man, I can't believe I'm saying this_ ," Frisk whispered. " _But that guy looks even worse than last time we saw him_."

Flowey didn't say anything at first, as he was beginning to grow more uncomfortable from the now growing number of curious eyes. So instead, he quickly racked his mind to find anything he could change the subject to.

" _So anyway,_ " he began with a subtle snark. " _Are you sure you don't like what you're seeing? Not even… a teensy bit?_ "

" _If you're still talking about the rabbit guy, then no, I don't,_ " Frisk answered. " _Not even a teensy bit. That guy must be like 20 years older than me, and besides, not sure if you've noticed, but… I'm a human, and that's a rabbit. You think I'm a furry or something?_ "

" _Uhh_ , _I fail to see how not being a creature made of fur has anything to do with this,_ " Flowey said, sounding confused. " _Unless you're suggesting that only furred monsters are allowed to be with other furred monsters, then, in that case, that's just ignorant and even a bit prejudiced._ "

" _Wha- no that's not what I-_ " Frisk began.

" _Wait, I think there is someone behind us_ ," Flowey said quickly.

"Yo, what are you two doing now?" said a familiar childish voice.

"Gah, fuck!" Frisk exclaimed in surprise.

She almost fell down flat on her back once again from the surprise and even felt a quick sting in her heart. She then looked behind her, her hand on her chest, and saw the same, armless monster kid from before with their apologetically smiling snout at uncomfortably close proximity to hers.

"Oh sorry," the kid said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

" _Jesus_ ," Frisk said. " _Is it just a thing with monsters down here to- uh, I mean other monsters down here, to just spontaneously appear behind someone_?"

"So old Lenny kicked you out, didn't he?" the kid said. "Yeah, he does that."

" _Ok, this is not a good time kid_!" Frisk whispered.

" _Yeah we are trying to be discreet here_ ," Flowey whispered. " _Can you leave us alone for a moment? Or at least be quieter_?"

"Oh don't worry, he can't hear us from in there," the kid said. "The glass window is like super strong."

" _Wait, really_?" Flowey asked. " _Are you sure_?"

"Yeah, let me show you," the kid replied.

The armless reptilian kid then walked towards the window, but not before coughing lightly, which Frisk found weird to see someone do without arms to cover their mouth.

" _Hey_ ," Frisk began. " _What are you-_ "

"Yo Lenny!" the monster kid yelled into the window. "Your store is being robbed, you… umm… turd!"

Frisk immediately ducked and covered her head, while Flowey pressed his vines upon where hist ears would've most likely been located if he had ones. Yet, to both their surprise, there came nothing. Frisk then rose slowly back up and Flowey anxiously followed, and to both their surprise, the paranoid lizard librarian looked unmoved by the kids shouting, still staring intently at the something, most likely the rabbit, in the library.

While Flowey began to look at the glass window more analytically, Frisk simply grew impressed. Just as she was beginning to think she was starting to somewhat understand the rules of this strange new world, Frisk found it was still finding ways to surprise her.

"How in the world?" she asked no-one in particular.

She turned to look down at the small kid, who had what resembled a smile on his yellow, reptilian snout. A type of smug smile that seemed to say "told you so".

"See?" the kid said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Well, I'll be," Flowey said as he looked at the window in surprise. "That's magi-glass."

"A what now?" Frisk asked and turned back to him.

"Magically enhanced glass," Flowey clarified. "Kinda self-explanatory."

"Yo, how can you tell?" the kid asked.

"Look closer," Flowey explained. "Notice those strange but subtle purplish hues?"

Frisk and the yellow monster kid moved their faces closer to the window and with Flowey's pointer in their mind, the aforementioned signs were hard to miss on closer inspection. What looked like strange purplish serpentine things covered the ends of the glass window, and, while it could have been simple optical illusions, they seemed to slither and move subtly up and down like waves.

"That's how you know it's magi-glass," Flowey explained. "Once you notice it, it's hard to miss."

"Huh," the kid replied.

"Woah," Frisk replied. "Cool. Let me try."

She pressed her face onto the window and yelled:

"Hey, asshole! Over here!"

Once again, the librarian did not even flinch from those words.

"Holy crap," Frisk said while removing her squished face from the glass. "That's something."

"But why would he bother adding such a strong window though?" Flowey asked curiously. "It's also incredibly expensive, or at least it used to be so last time I was here."

"Paranoia most likely," the monster kid answered. "They say Lenny just out of a sudden grew a bit too paranoid during the last few weeks."

"Oh we've noticed," Flowey said.

"Hey, do you know anything about that kid?" Frisk asked. "Flowey says he wasn't always like this, so something obviously must've happened. Any clues or…?"

"Well… truth is no-one really knows what's going on with him," the monster kid answered. "But my first mom says he most likely got the _Baron's Sickness_ like mister Papyrus at the edge of town."

"Baron's Sickness?" Frisk asked curiously.

"Yeah, yeah, can we talk about that later?" Flowey asked. "As we said, we are kinda busy here at the moment kiddo, so we'll see you in the morning or something."

"If you two are trying to eavesdrop on Lenny here," the kid suddenly said. "Then I know a much better spot to do so."

"Ok, how in the world would you know that?" Flowey asked curiously.

"Think you're the first monsters to be spying on him?" the kid answered. "You wouldn't guess it by just looking at it, but Lenny is like the richest monster in town for some reason. Everyone wants to know more."

" _Well that could very likely explain his paranoia_ ," Flowey muttered subtly.

"No one knows how or why he's so apparently rich," the kid continued. "But I think I've figured it out. He's secretly a drug maker. Must be. That would also explain why he's always so shaky and stuff. Because he's got the Baron's Sickness and he got it from all the Baron's Breath he's been making in his basement."

"I don't think he has a basement," Flowey added.

"You are not gonna be able to eavesdrop anything from here," the monster kid continued. "The downside of this glass is that we also can't hear what he's saying. Or at least, not from this spot."

"Oh yeah," Flowey said in realization. "That's… duh. Why didn't I consider that? Am I slow today or what?"

"Alright kid," Frisk said. "So… where is this magic spot then?"

"Follow me," the kid said enthusiastically.

Without another word, the monster kid quickly ran to the left before Frisk could get another word out.

"Hey, wait up!" she called after them.

Frisk then wasted no time either and quickly stood up, which mixed with the weight of her bag made her lose balance for a moment and look clumsy from afar before she managed to adjust her self and run after the kid's direction.

She only took a few steps to the left side of the building before seeing the kid again, who was using just their teeth to seemingly remove a loose piece wallpaper covering the eastern wall, slowly as if to make little sound. Frisk walked up to him once they seemingly finished tearing and spat onto the snow some loose paper pieces, and she and Flowey looked at what the kid had opened up.

Under the hidden gap of the beige coloured wallpaper covered in rot and tears, there was a white, seemingly paper-thin wall underneath with some small, almost thin cracks that were thankfully big enough to glance through at crouching level.

"This is the best spot," the monster kid said. "There are no soundproof windows on this side of the building, and Lenny hasn't noticed these cracks yet. Somehow Don't ask me why he hasn't. Been here for a few days now even."

To Frisk, this being the best spot was seemingly no exaggeration. It was a great spot even. The thin wall, torn wallpaper and cracks seemed to mix together into a great sense of unprofessionalism, that also, luckily on their part, made it the perfect setup for spying and eavesdropping on whatever was inside.

"Why are you helping us?" Flowey asked suddenly. "For all you know, we could be planning on robbing this guy."

"Eh, I don't really care what you are doing with him," the kid answered. "Plus, you seem nice enough. But Lenny though. He's been kinda… nothing but an ass to me and my parents. Oh, and also to everyone else in town for the past few weeks. Honestly, I don't really care why you are eavesdropping. I told you, practically everyone in town is curious about him."

"But do you expect anything in return or…?" Flowey pried.

"Nah I'm… good," the kid said thinking. "Although… maybe now that I'd helped you, you'd be willing to tell me some stories of the outside world or…"

Frisk chuckled lightly and shook her head.

"So is that the real reason you helped us?" she said, smiling. "Wanna use this moment as like a sort of blackmail in case I go back on my words earlier?"

The kid's cheerful expression now began to grow a large noticeable shade of embarrassment.

"Ermm…" they said awkwardly. "…no? I mean… I wouldn't call it blackmailing but…"

"It's fine kiddo," Frisk answered. "I promised, didn't I? You really didn't need to, but thanks for the help either way."

The kid embarrassment faded from his yellow, scaly cheeks and a warm smile formed on his snout.

"Yo, so I kinda need to scram now," they then said. "My second mom gets pretty upset when I spend too long outside, especially on weekends. Sorry."

"Oh, don't worry I get it," Frisk said. "I mean, I don't get it with the mom part but-"

Frisk stopped herself from continuing she saw that the kid was starting to grow a confused expression from her words.

"Sorry, I said too much," Frisk said in an excusing tone. "I'm tired and not thinking straight and… it was nothing."

"Right…" Flowey said, looking up at her with intrigue. "Anyways, I guess we'll be seeing you later kid."

"Yeah I'm off now," the kid said.

"Wait!" Frisk exclaimed before the kid even finished turning around. "Sorry but I… I don't think we ever got your name."

"Name's Max," the monster kid said. "Y'know, like the old Royal Guard Maxo. But you can just call me MK."

"Well, in that case, MK, my name is Francisca," Frisk said. "But you can just call me Frisk."

"And I'm Flowey," her companion added. "But you can just call me… uh, Flowey."

With that, the kid, MK wasted little time before turning around and running towards an indeterminate place in town. Then suddenly, in the middle of the run, MK tripped, and with no arms to support, they fell face-first into the snow, but before Frisk could properly absorb what she just witnessed, MK had sprung themselves back up with just their legs and continued running as if nothing happened. As her momentary worry and shock quickly faded, Frisk quickly pieced together that this looked like a regular occurrence with the kid. Then, just as MK vanished behind some houses, she smiled softly. Either towards MK themselves or as a result of watching the clumsy event occur, but Frisk herself wasn't sure which it was.

"Well that was a fine kid," Flowey said. "A bit pushing at times, but mostly bearable."

"Are you like a professional critic of kids now or something?" Frisk asked cheekily. "What, are you also gonna rate them on the scale of one to ten?"

"Uhh…no?" Flowey said.

"Sorry, shitty joke," Frisk said, mildly embarrassed.

"Mhmm," Flowey simply expressed, agreeing.

A short moment later, Frisk turned around to the thin library wall to focus back on her mission. Now on closer look, it was now clear to both of them that it was unfortunately too small for both of them to glance through at the same time unless they two would bend into a strange and uncomfortable position.

"Should I look first or…?" Frisk asked Flowey.

"Go ahead," Flowey said. "I think I'm better suited for keeping watch."

Frisk nodded in agreement and crouched down close enough to the wall so she could smell the fumes from the rotting wallpaper. Then she leaned closer and peeked through the crack.

Her view from this angle was sadly, but unsurprisingly, very limited. Thankfully, the dozens of candles around the place proved to be handy markers, so Frisk wasn't completely in the dark, both literally and figuratively. She could even if just barely see the paranoid librarian who seemed to stand still as a statue by the front desk, which was to her right in her line of sight.

Then, to her fortunate surprise, she saw that the towering rabbit monster, RG 01, was still inside, looking around the library seemingly for nothing in particular.

" _Good, the rabbit guy is still here_ ," Frisk said. " _Man he's taking a really long time. Lucky for us though. But the store's got like what, 12 books_?"

" _So are you still sure you don't feel perhaps just a tingle from him, eh?_ " Flowey asked in a devious manner. " _You can deny it, but I saw the way you looked at him._ "

Frisk rolled her eyes. It was clear to her that her flowery companion wasn't going to drop this all too soon.

" _Whatever,_ " she said. " _So what? Maybe I did get a teensy bit… interested after seeing that, but only in the uh, human aspects so to speak, and don't tell me you've never seen a stranger on the street that you found attractive. Doesn't at all mean you want to hit it or date them right away._ "

" _Heh, alright_ ," Flowey said to Frisk and smiled. " _Whatever you say. Not like you have much of a chance with him either way. Oh and he's gay. I think. That's what I remember at least._ "

" _Oh, ok,_ " Frisk answered. " _I mean, that's neat but… I don't really care_."

" _Heh, I bet you don't_ ," Flowey said, somewhat snarkily.

Frisk paid little to no heed to his last comment, and all the reply she gave was another quick roll of her eyes.

As Frisk continued to spy on the massive rabbit who she could barely see was now looking at some shelves, she realized that there was a hint of bitterness from how Flowey was speaking just now. Like he secretly held a deep-seated grudge towards him. But then she shrugged it off as her possibly just overthinking it.

" _It's hard to see a lot from here,_ " Frisk admitted as she squinted her eyes even more. " _Do you think it's a good idea to move closer or what_?"

" _You mean run straight up to him like how you often did to strange noises and stuff back in the forest_?" Flowey asked cheekily.

" _Well if you say it like that,_ " Frisk began. " _Then fine. For your sake, I ain't gonna do that this time. But the other times were different though, because… well, none of us had any idea what to expect_."

" _That… that just sounds like an extra good reason not to do those things_ ," Flowey said. " _But whatever. If you ain't gonna do it now, great. That's all I needed to hear_."

" _And if we're spotted and the rabbit realizes what I am?_ " Frisk began. " _Then I'll just kill myself and reset_."

" _Nah, let's not risk that either,_ " Flowey said. " _We have no idea when you last saved, so to speak. We could possibly end up all the way back in the ruins_."

" _Oh, good point_ ," Frisk said. " _But there must be a way to figure that out, right? When I last saved that is. Like, is there a pattern?_ "

" _Hmm, let me think_ ," Flowey began. " _Well… when's the last time you felt very determined? Like more than usual_?"

" _Umm, I don't know_ ," Frisk answered. " _Sometime back in the forest I guess._ "

" _Alright, that's not too far_ ," Flowey said. " _Still, let's not_ -"

" _Hang on, the rabbit guy is finally doing something_ ," Frisk said.

The flower shut his mouth before she even finished speaking. As Frisk examined whatever event was occurring through the cracks, she thought for a moment she was mistaken until she saw RG 01 reach for an unseen book on a shelf away from her limited line of sight.

" _Ok, what's he doing_?" Flowey asked after a while.

" _He's finally picking a book I think_ ," Frisk described as she saw it happen. " _He's opening it. Reading. Yep, he seemed to have picked it and is heading to the counter now. To the asshole lizard. Ok, it seems like they are just staring at each other now. This is weird._ "

"Yo, sup Lenny," the rabbit spoke to the librarian in a sort of a deep, surfer-esque voice. "Been a while since I've been here."

"R-Reggie?" Lenny replied in a tone somehow even more panicky than usual. "I-I uh, d-didn't know you were… in town."

" _Oh yeah, his name's Reggie_ ," Flowey whispered. " _Knew it was something silly like that._ "

"Yeah, I'm just visiting for today," Reggy answered. "Good to be here for nostalgia sake though. Sucks about what happened to it though. No offence. But anyway, I wanna buy this book."

There came an almost subdued thump as he dropped the book on Lenny's counter, but it was somehow enough to make the lizard librarian startle backwards like a cat.

"Oh sorry, Lenny," the beefy rabbit added. "Didn't mean to scare ya bro. Is something wrong? You seem a bit on edge today."

"N-nothing," the librarian said nervously. "There's nothing wrong at… a-all."

While Frisk couldn't see properly through the cracks, she could almost feel sweat begin to leak down his green scales.

"So are you gonna charge me for the book or what?" Reggie asked the librarian.

"O-oh, uhh," the lizard said anxiously.

Lenny was in the most shocked and clearly frightened state Frisk had ever seen someone be in, human or animal. Just from her angle, every muscle, every essence of the librarian seemed to be shaking wildly, and even the simple act of him picking up the book Reggie handed him seemed to be a great obstacle. It was like watching an elderly man attempting the idlest works.

It was undebatable now to everyone watching, even Reggie, that something was clearly wrong.

"Bro, what's wrong?" Reggie asked him, with a hint of worry.

"I…" Lenny muttered as the book shook wildly in his arms. "I…"

Suddenly, the book dropped from his hands and slammed on the counter, almost breaking the rotting wood, before he began to squeal and placed his clawed, scaly hands around his head, and gave out a painful wail of pure terror.

"OH GODS, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" he cried. "DON'T TORTURE ME AND TURN ME INTO DECOIR. I'M SORRY I TOOK THE BRIBE! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!"

"Woah, bro!" Reggy said, greatly surprised.

"I SHOULDN'T HAVE!" the librarian continued. "I KNOW I SHOULDN'T, BUT I WAS DESPERATE, I-"

"Lenny, calm down bro, I-" Reggy began.

Before the rabbit could finish, Lenny grabbed his shirt and held fast as he looked pleading into his eyes.

"Reginald, please!" Lenny cried into his face. "Please tell Mickey that it was the only way! The library was going under and… and… I had no choice. Otherwise, it was… c'mon. Someone as great as Mickey must understand the importance of libraries and knowledge and-"

"Bro, I don't work with Mickey anymore!" Reggie stated. "Nor with the Royal Hunt! Not anymore that is."

Lenny looked at him in disbelief, still shaking and sweating, but now seemed to have a tinge of hope in his green reptilian face.

"W-what?" he asked in surprise.

"I quit," Reggie said. "A few years ago actually. I haven't been with The Royal Hunt for a long time."

"Y-you can d-do that?" Lenny asked, now in pure disbelief. "F-from The Hunt?"

"Ehh," Reggie began. "Technically not. It really wasn't easy. Had to go through a bunch of hoops. Plus, I think I may have ended up on Mickey's enemy list as a result. But I'm alive at least. So far that is."

Still holding the much larger rabbit by the shirt, the lizard seemed to stare at him in complete silence like he was dazed. Then, after a few seconds, he calmly let go and slowly sat down on his wooden chair behind the counter.

"Oh," Lenny said calmly and regretfully. "Well umm… in that case I… I'm sorry I… I did not know Reggie, I… I hadn't heard. Somehow."

"Eh, you are probably not the first bro," Reggie said reassuringly. "I've only been here for half an hour at most, yet half the town has already given me the side-eye. Didn't think much of it, but now it makes more sense."

"But you heard nothing, alright?!" Lenny said with more intensity. "Please. I said nothing back there and… you heard nothing from me. Nothing at all."

"Oh don't worry bro," Reggie said reassuringly again. "Your secret, whatever it is, is safe with me, bro."

"Uhh, yeah," Lenny said, unsure. "So umm… anyway, what brings you to town?"

"I'm uhh," the rabbit began, sounding clearly uncomfortable. "I'm here for the funeral. Just decided to look around first since it's been a while."

"Funeral?" Lenny asked curiously.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Reggie asked back, a bit surprised. "It's kind of a big one. Half the town is attending from what I gather."

"Oh, I… I don't go out much these days, heh," Lenny said somewhat awkwardly. "But umm… whose funeral is this?"

There came a moment of quiet between them, and from the little that Frisk could see through the cracks, she felt like she noticed a large hint of grief and sadness on Reggie's expression.

"It's… for my little cousin, Ivan," Reggie said, clearly uncomfortable. "You know? Isabell's son. The innkeeper's."

* * *

Author's note:

Yep. Reggie is talking about that kid at the end. The little rabbit you can find at the inn in Snowdin.

Anyway, here is the second part of the Snowdin chapter/arc/whatever-you-wanna-call-it. This was a surprisingly difficult chapter to write, as I kept going through so many different variations and ideas I kept changing and discarding. For example, Monster Kid wasn't originally supposed to appear here, but I realized that since I hadn't figured out a way to introduce them, I basically just went up and added them here. Even gave them some developments. They will return, don't you worry, and their role will be similar but not much longer than in UT. This is not a jab at the game BTW.

But if I thought this chapter was hard, then the next one will be perhaps even harder. You can see why at the end there. I am going to deal with some pretty heavy stuff in the next chapter so be prepared. It will also explain why it will take me a while to write it, so keep that in mind.

So here is also another character introduced, or rather reintroduced, RG-01, who came perhaps much earlier than any of you anticipated. Like MK, they had a minor part in UT but will have a bigger role in this AU. How bigger their role will be, I won't spoil. Just be prepared that these two will appear again, sooner or later. As to the location of RG-02, well read the prequel story for that. He makes an appearance if you haven't figured it out.

This chapter wasn't going be this long at first, but it is now, and I don't know why. Maybe I went too far into some detail, but if you think that then please let me now. Criticism is completely appreciated, just try to be respectful with it ok?

Anyways, see you later.


	19. Snowdin Part 3

**Snowdin - Part 3**

The snow fell lightly on the soil and dirt, flowing out from the wind and cavern sky like ashes of a great pyre. The fog came next, subtle and light, and it slid down the hill before passing over the small lake, giving it the false impression of a warm hot-spring.

On the field the lake ran through, there was a tree. A single, large and ancient tree of pine, rotting and without leaves, kneeling in a formation resembling a half-closed fist of a monstrous skeleton. Beside that tree, there was a small house or cottage. It was barely half the size of the tree and appeared hastily put together with loose planks and bricks, resembling a cheap, self-made shack rather than a proper home.

Standing right outside of it, on the plain, snow-covered field, there was a plain, polished oak table. Several items were scattered on it. They were a dirty bowl, a striped blue and yellow t-shirt, and a wooden toy car. Then there was a fourth item, one clearly too big for the table. It seemed to resemble a large plushy, one that almost resembled a large, living rabbit.

Lastly, besides that strange assortment of objects, there stood a singular painting on an easel. A simple but clear painting of a young monster boy resembling a white rabbit. He smiled, playfully, like he was happy and at peace. No more hunger, no more sickness and no more pain. A comforting thought, it seemed was the painter's intention.

There was writing at the bottom of the painting. Written in cursive monster-speak, it simply wrote: _Ivan, may he find peace_.

Practically half of Snowdin had gathered there in that field just south of town. The half that could arrive, that is. Of course, there were a few outsiders as well. Some distant relatives from distant towns or regions. Some cousins or old friends. There were even some strangers or even passerby who didn't know young Ivan very well but arrived the same to give their respect.

All of them, family and friends, strangers and acquaintances, old, young and adult, young, old and ancient, bipedal, quadruped and legless, all dressed mostly in either black, grey or white, stood together in a half-circle right outside the cottage by the old tree.

While there were the occasional soft mutters and whispers here and there, there was still a certain shared quietness between all of them. A quietness noise of respect, of understanding, one where each monster had a moment to reflect, in order to remember their own, fragile yet often forgotten mortality. To remember, that despite being able to live perhaps hundreds, if not thousands of lifetimes, throughout how many centuries or millennia, each of their lives could still be taken at a moments notice.

A priestly figure stood in front of them, dressed in dark-grey robes, ones so unkempt and dirty they were more closely similar to the rags of a hermit. The hood was also very large and covered their entire face, snout and whatever lay there hidden in shadows. It also walked with a crooked back, and in one of its two hands, it seemed to hold a wooden staff of sorts.

Then, he, she or it drew a small copper bell from under its robe and rang it, and all the other monsters around stopped whatever mutters, whispers they were at in an instant and simply watched in unison like time itself had frozen. But there was no spell at play here, no hypnosis, simply an understanding between them all of what it meant.

It was time for the funeral ritual to begin.

Frisk stood just outside of town, at the top of a hill, watching the event from a distance. If she didn't know any better, she would've assumed this was the start of some strange cult meeting or ritual. But with all the context in place, the painting, the objects and the word of the rabbit from the library earlier, it was hard to deny what this was about.

Frisk simply followed the group of monsters who had gathered together in a walk to someplace just outside of town. She understood the somberness of it and what it was about and wanted to know more while, but not enough to join the moving group, either in a sense of respect or fear, including a fear that she would be discovered amongst such a large group of strange and unreal creatures. Perhaps it was due to both of these reasons, Frisk figured. It was only once they arrived at the place that the somberness of the situation hit her.

" _What's with the stuff on the table_?" she curiously asked Flowey, whispering as if the monsters in the distant gathering could hear her.

"These are… the kid's favourite items in life," Flowey answered, with somberness he was clearly trying to hide. "Supposedly that is."

"Hmm," Frisk said, feeling her throat tighten. "Guess only he would've known for sure."

"True," Flowey said. "You'll see what they're for. Soon enough."

As the silent mourning continued, Frisk tried to find the large, white rabbit Reggie, or RG 01 as Flowey called him, in the group, which proved harder than she expected. Even with so many strange and different looking creatures, there was a strange abundance of white or whiteish rabbit monsters, and while most of them were fairly thin and small in comparison, finding the large one, even from this distance was hard. It was almost as if he wasn't in the group at all, which Frisk found plausible but strange. Did he have to suddenly do something more important, Frisk wondered. What could be more important currently than attending the funeral of his own cousin?

Just as she was pondering this, the hooded figure rung the bell again. Frisk still found hard to figure out what they were, as from her distance it was hard to make out any detail under the hood. Maybe there was nothing under there? Maybe there was just shadow or perhaps even not that? Just nothing. Frisk didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to think anymore.

Then finally, they began to speak. Frisk expect that she would glimpse something from this creature from their words, be it gender or age, but as strange as it was, they're voice managed to hint at almost nothing in fact. They spoke in a strange, aged but genderless voice, making Frisk start to wonder the possibility if they even had a gender. Or at least the same human concept of gender.

"We are gathered here today," the hooded figure began. "To bid our farewells. To say our last goodbyes… to young Ivan."

There came a few but quick sad murmurs from the crowd.

"I didn't know him much in life," the hooded figure continued, once all had silenced. "Nor do I pretend to. But many of you did. And even those of you who didn't, you still chose to arrive here nonetheless. Some who were invited have not come here, so I'm told, possibly due to events out of their full control. But I also don't hold ill will to some of those that could make it but chose not to, and I don't think you should either. Not completely at least, for I understand that this is a loss beyond the scale of normal grief."

They gave a small pause as if waiting for someone else to speak.

"Ivan Haren," they continued after a while. "I am told, was tragically young. Only ten years of age, he was taken too soon from this world. From this life he had, and from the ones he could've had. But sickness came upon him, and several days later, that sickness took him in his bed, while he slept peacefully and unaware."

They took another pause. The only thing that could be heard for a few seconds was the soft wind breezing by.

"He had few friends, I am told," they continued. "A mother of course. An aunt and many cousins, some close, other distant. His father, Valdi Haren, Ivan could never meet in life, for he had perished from a sudden sickness in the heart when Ivan was but a few months old. I was gathered then, ten years ago, in this very place, with many of you as well. It was the only time I met Ivan as well. He seemed so… small then. A young monster with full of hope and dreams."

They took another moment of silence. This time though, it was seemingly for themselves, judging from how he stared at the ground as if stricken by a sudden sadness.

During this new moment of silence, Frisk took a quick look at her flowery companion, who had extended his vines so he could take a closer look. She found it mildly surprising that he seemed to be just as invested in this as her, but only mildly, as Frisk began to feel him be a constant surprise for her.

Finally, the hooded figure looked back up and spoke again.

"Now though," they said. "It is time to say the final goodbyes to him. Our last farewells… to young Ivan."

They then turned to the centre of the crowd.

"Isabell Haren," they called into it. "You may come now. When you're ready."

The crowd, slowly and carefully, parted until a lone rabbit lady stood alone. She looked incredibly frail, almost bony, and wore a dirty and torn orange woollen sweater and a matching skirt, clearly not able to afford fancier clothes for this funeral. Her fur was white with a pinkish hue, and in her uncanny human-like palms, she held a small, full blue pouch. She stared down at the snow-covered ground as if to hide her face from the others.

"Oh my gods," Flowey suddenly muttered, seemingly in shock. "That's… that's the old Snowdin innkeeper."

After an uncomfortably long pause, the rabbit lady began to walk towards the table with objects. The way she walked was incredibly slow, pausing momentarily with every step like she was walking on needles. Even from a distance, Frisk could see her expression was wracked with pain.

When she was finally in front of the table of items, she stopped. Then stared at it for a while like she didn't know what to do next. Then, as slow and shaken as her walk, her palm reached into the small bag she held. Frisk could see a few tears form on her eyes now, and run down her cheek slowly. It was hard to miss in fact. This was, perhaps, the clearest and most glimmering tears she had ever seen, much more than from any human. The tears went past her cheek, past her torn sweater and fell down on the snow, instantly vaporizing into several dust particles that became unrecognizable from the snow.

Finally, the rabbit pulled her hand out again. Her palm was filled with what resembled a greyish pile of snow. But Frisk was certain this was not any snow. She had seen this essence before. From the old creature in the ruins. Her suspicions were only strengthened as the rabbit lady looked down at the dust in her palm, and began to sob. Her tears became thicker and faster.

From the crowd, another rabbit stepped forward, this one also female, but her fur was darker and purplish. This one wore a dirty white wool dress and had a straw hat with two holes for her years. This purplish rabbit hat placed one of her palms on the weeping rabbit's shoulder. The white rabbit looked back at her for a moment and then nodded.

" _Do you know who that is_?" Frisk asked, whispering again.

"That's her older sister, Clare," Flowey answered. "She used to own the general store in Snowdin. When it still existed that is."

Then once the purplish rabbit with the straw hat, Clare, let go and backed back into the crowd, the white one, Isabell, took another step. She then placed her dust-filled hand over the small toy car, and opened her palm, letting the dust slowly fall all over it.

" _What is she doing_?" Frisk whispered to Flowey, watching her action with confusion.

"Spreading his dust," Flowey answered. "Whenever a monster dies, their dust is spread over their favourite objects in life. It is believed that their… essence will then… live on, forever, in those objects."

Frisk kept watching as the frail rabbit lady picked up more dust and poured that as well over the toy, and then stopped once her palm was empty, her face grimacing as if holding another weep. Frisk found it a bit hard to watch but simultaneously couldn't move her eyes away. There was a certain, tranquillity to this ritual, Frisk felt. A sad but clear mood in it that spoke more than any words of grief could.

" _Is that true_?" Frisk asked Flowey. " _Does their essence really live on in the items_?"

Flowey said nothing. Kept watching on, like he either didn't hear her or simply decided not to answer. Frisk noted a strange discomfort in his last answer, so she decided not to pry, and just kept silent as well.

The white rabbit lady then turned her eyes on another object, this time, the striped t-shirt. It was at that moment Frisk noticed that several other monsters in the group were now tearing up as well, and just like the rabbit, their tears were just as clear and glimmering as well.

Once Isabell was done pouring over the shirt, she proceeded to the next one, the wooden bowl. It advanced like the last two, with her pouring two palms of dust over it.

Then she proceeded to the last item, the large, lifelike plushy besides the table, but stopped it as if something suddenly snapped within her. She stared at it, like a weak prey awaiting death from a predator, with one hand holding a nearly empty bag of dust. Then she broke. She fell down on her knees like her bones suddenly snapped like twigs, and cried. Her bag fell off her hands and onto the thin snow, and several particles of dust fell out, blending with the white ground. Isabell didn't care about that anymore, simply placed both her palms on her teary face as if to hide her cries. The other monsters, even the strange hooded figure it seemed, looked at her with clear sympathy. Some even began to cry as well. Before Frisk realized it, she felt a single tear was running down her light brown cheek as well.

"Wow," she muttered as she wiped it away with her hand. "That's… Jesus."

The purplish rabbit lady with the pink hat, Clare, her eyes full of tears as well, then came back from the crowd, knelt down besides Isabell, and embraced her softly. After a moment, her sobs lessened and she breathed heavily. The hooded figure came forwards as well and whispered something into one of Isabell's rabbit ears. Whatever it was, it seemed to be enough to calm her down. She then finally moved her palms from her eyes, that were now red from tears, grabbed the bag, and slowly stood back up, Clare helping her onto her bare rabbit feet. There were still visible tears running down her cheeks and she still shook wildly, but a mild sense of strength seemed to push her a bit forward. It was not complete enough, so Clare then held her shoulders and led her the few steps to the plush like she was teaching her sister to walk again. Once they were close enough, they both simultaneously reached into the blue bag and poured the last of the dust all over the plush. Then, it was done.

Isabell took one deep breath as she faced the dust-covered plush. Then as if by magic, the dust seemed to fade into the items, almost growing stuck to them. Isabell lowered her head as if she didn't want to witness this, and allowed Clare to lead her back into the crowd, still shaking and softly sobbing the way.

Once that was done, the hooded figure stood back to face their crowd, rung their bell once more and spoke.

"It's easy to blame others for this," they said to the crowd. "To blame your gods or spirits or the angel, or whatever power you believe. Whatever the case, the sad truth is, this is a chaotic, harsh world, and I agree that in a better one, things like this wouldn't have happened, or at least not so frequent. But it is up to us to make that world. Not later, not even tomorrow. Today. We may grieve, we may anger or cry, but we mustn't let ourselves fall into pure despair during times like this, even if the unknown abyss seems tempting and the world of the living hopeless."

They took another pause as if to make sure the others absorbed what they spoke. Even from her distance, the hooded figure spoke so clearly that Frisk could hear the speech in full and in its whole eloquence. Just from their tone and words, Frisk felt a sense of grief rise in her, a sense of loss, despite the fact she never met this young Ivan. It was almost like their voice was magic in a sense, hypnotic even.

It was around this moment that she finally spotted the large rabbit, Reggie, in her sights. As she was no longer even thinking of him, she managed to glance at him in the distance by pure chance. But he was not in the crowd as it turned out. Like her, he stood watching from a distance, on a different hill opposite the house from Frisk's perspective. Under a small pine tree, he simply watched the funeral from above, smoking what looked like a small cigar with green smoke.

 _Why isn't he with the group_? Frisk thought.

"Did something happen with Reggie?" she asked Flowey. "Related to Ivan?"

"Why you ask?" Flowey replied.

"He's… distant for some reason," Frisk answered. "He's just under the tree at the hill over there. Not even in the crowd."

"Hmm, that's weird," Flowey said. "No idea why that is. But… whatever. I just… I don't care anymore."

"Ok, I'll shut up then," Frisk said.

"You don't… you don't really have to," Flowey said, now sounding like he had a lump in his throat.

Shortly as he finished saying that, Frisk saw Reggie throw his cigar on the ground and bury it in some snow with his feet. Then he turned around and walked into the woods, his large sword and scabbard visible on his back from her view.

About a few minutes passed before the crowd of monsters finally separated. Some headed deeper into the woods, others, including the hooded figure, went by of to a beaten path leading north, while the rest headed up the hill towards Snowdin. Among them was Clare, the frail purplish rabbit, who Frisk saw heading towards the shelter. Isabell meanwhile, simply entered the ruined cottage by the tree alone, not even bothering to close it behind her. Before they separated, there was a moment where Clare and Isabell spoke about something inaudible. Whatever it was, Frisk figured it wasn't something nice.

Frisk watched it all from beginning to end, not moving her eyes away by much. It was hard for her to do, either from a deep-seated sense of respect or from some type of morbid curiosity she had. Either way, she had a feeling that Flowey felt just as bad if not worse than she currently did.

"So what now?" she asked him, watching the monsters move past her.

"I… I don't know," Flowey simply said, clearly in a bad mood. "I don't… I don't think we should've come here. To the funeral I mean."

"Yeah, sorry…" Frisk said. "I just… I was curious."

"It's alright," Flowey answered. "Now you at least know how funerals down here work. You got a live demonstration, you could say. Could've been in better circumstances but… it's what it is."

"Uh-huh," Frisk simply replied.

"So… is it anything like this on the surface or…?" Flowey asked with curiosity.

"Well, where I'm from, not really," Frisk answered. "But… maybe this is how it works in some foreign cultures I don't know of. In my country though, hell even in both my parent's countries, we usually just dig a hole and bury them in a box. Ok, to be fair, there's actually a bit more to it than that."

"Uh-huh," Flowey replied simply, not looking at her.

"Of course, there's cremation," Frisk said. "Which… is kinda similar to this, actually, now that I think about it. Burn the body to ash and spread it. Mostly over special places though rather than over any particular object, but it's a similar mindset I guess."

"I see," Flowey said.

"Still, I'm sorry I put you through this," Frisk said apologetically.

"Got your apologies the first time," Flowey replied. "No need to say it twice."

"Right, I… right…" Frisk said.

She kept watching down the hill, down at the house even though the crowd was still gone. The painting still stood there, while the items had been moved inside the house a while ago. She tried to imagine this boy in life, this rabbit monster Ivan. What was he like, having lived his whole life down here never even getting a chance to see the sun and star? That was hard for her to imagine. It made her also reflect how she took things like that for granted and reminded her how things that seemed normal down here felt so abnormal. Like her own normal, this human normal, like the star and sun, wasn't the truth but a privilege she took for granted.

Frisk then took a look at her flowery friend. She wondered then why he was so hesitant to show his emotions. She found it obvious how he actually felt, that he had empathy. Why was he so strange about it, she wondered. Was it cultural? Does she herself have something do to about it? Or is there something about him he doesn't want her to know? In fact, how much _did_ she know about him? This strange creature that's not monster nor animal? How much did she know about this world even? Once again, she had so many questions and few answers, yet at the moment had no energy or will to ask any of it.

 _What is the point_? Frisk simply thought.

It was then that she looked back to look at the town, and with a quick spook, she saw a familiar standing near her and Flowey. A familiar bulging skeleton with a large, seemingly permanent grin on his face that made her feel uneasy just looking at.

"Sup kiddos," Sans said to them.

"Jesus," Frisk said, mildly startled. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Looking for us or something?" Flowey pried.

The skeleton exhaled audibly through his grin and shook his head.

"Had to get out of the house for a moment," he said. "Me and my brother we… well, we got into a bit of a fight. I caught him sneaking in some of… his stuff. Something he had promised to quit after I took some of it away but… turns out he just snuck some behind me."

"What is this "stuff" you keep mentioning?" Flowey asked.

Sans stood still and looked at them momentarily as if he was thinking of something else.

"Eh, sorry but that's kinda personal territory," he finally answered after a moment. "Let's just say it's something… _addicting_."

"Hmm," Frisk simply replied.

"It's nothing related to me, is it?" Flowey suddenly asked.

"Erm, no," Sans said. "He's never mentioned you even. Not in relation to this, that is. Now that I think about it, I don't think he has mentioned you for several years now."

"Oh," Flowey said, sounding like he didn't know how to react. "That's… ok…"

There came a short moment of pause as if all three of them were waiting for someone else to speak first. Frisk simply didn't have much to say now. Or rather, not much energy to control the conversation. She just stood, listening to the blows of the soft wind blowing by her clothes.

"Never been fond of funerals," Sans said after a moment, breaking the silence.

"I doubt most people are," Flowey replied.

"You wouldn't think that," Sans added. "Y'know Considering I'm a skeleton after all but… whatever. I'm not really in much of a joking mood now, if you couldn't tell."

"Neither am I," Flowey replied.

"But why are you here though?" Frisk asked him directly.

The fat skeleton shrugged.

"No idea," he admitted. "No reason I guess? I was just walking around town, saw you nearby and wanted to say hi."

"Huh, ok," Frisk replied.

"Since when do you take walks?" Flowey asked.

"I walk… sometimes," Sans said. "Not much but… ok, not much. It's rare actually. You caught me."

"Well, at least it's nice to know someone cares about us two though," Flowey said. "Someone who's not… you know who I mean Frisk. Right?"

"I think so," she replied, thinking back to the creature in the ruins.

"Even if the care comes from this smiley trashbag," Flowey added with more bitterness.

"Is that your only insult towards me?" Sans asked. "I mean… it's not like it's wrong per se. I do smile a lot, and I am a bag of trash, admittedly."

Flowey gave out a small pout.

"Whatever," he said and looked away. "Not in the mood for this now."

"I can see that," the skeleton said. "So anyway, did the shelter take you in kiddos? Sure hope so. For your sake that is, 'cause then I won't have to share with you my _hilarious_ jokes all night. I already have my bro Papyrus to suffer through them."

"Not really," Frisk answered. "The shelter was full. In a literal sense, apparently."

" _Still feel like there was room there_ ," Flowey muttered.

"Hmm, shame," Sans said, still grinning. "Well, my offer still stands you know? Unless you wanna crash at some other monster's hole."

"I… think we've decided to take your offer," Frisk answered, trying to hide her slight discomfort at the thought.

She hoped the skeleton didn't notice her unease. From his still expression, Frisk found it hard to say whether he did.

"Yeah, we are… doing that," Flowey confirmed, clearly not hiding his tone of disappointment.

The flower then gave out a small sigh of defeat.

"Oh cool," Sans casually said through his still uncomfortably wide grin. "Good to hear. But eh. Let's not go to my place just yet. Not when my bro is currently having one of his cranky moments."

"Got it," Frisk said. "I know how that feels. I have a… family member who sometimes has outburst so… yeah."

"Mhmm," Sans simply replied.

"So what should we do until then?" Flowey asked. "Just stand around in this growing cold?"

"Eh, I was thinking of going to Grillby's," Sans answered. "Have you two ever been there kiddos?"

"You mean that big building with the large, broken sign?" Frisk asked. "The one that seems the most stable?"

"The one and the same," Sans answered. "I always go there when I… well I never have a good excuse to, honestly. I just go there a lot. They sell the best burgers with the best ketchup in town. Also the only burgers and ketchup in town."

"Mhmm," Frisk answered simply.

" _That could explain your "big bones" syndrome_ ," Flowey muttered under his breath.

"Anyways," Sans continued. "I was wondering if you could… maybe be… interested in having a bit of lunch with me there?"

"Look, if this is your way of asking me out-" Frisk began.

"Oh, no, no, no," Sans said reassuringly. "While I'm honestly kinda flattered you thought I was going there, I wasn't. I was more thinking of dining together as… newly met acquaintances. Or as companions. Just a nice gesture for you and your _pothead_ friend there."

" _Ugh, told you I'm really not in the mood for this now_ ," Flowey muttered with annoyance.

"I don't really do romance if you wanna know," Sans added. "Never been my thing."

"So you´re like asexual?" Frisk asked curiously. "I mean I'm not judging."

"Nah, don't think so," Sans said. "More like _aromantic_ , I'd say. Not sure if by choice or if it's just how I'm wired. I just know that currently, I feel like relationships are far too much work for me."

Frisk smiled a bit.

"I can understand that," she replied.

"So you wanna come or…?" Sans asked.

Frisk shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm game," she answered and turned to her companion. "What about you Flowey? You in or…?"

"Whatever," her companion answered, sounding drained. "I just… yeah, let's go."

"I mean," Sans began. "He doesn't have to come with. I can just drop him at my place and-"

"I said I'll go," Flowey blurted out, sounding irritated. "Sorry. I… well, I'm not sorry actually. I'm never sorry to you that is."

"Alright kiddo," Sans said. "Just don't come complaining to me if you change your mind in there. Anyway, follow me, kiddo. I happen to know a shortcut."

With that, the duo, or Frisk rathered, followed behind the bulging skeleton.

The bar slash restaurant was slightly better than what Frisk had come to expect from the town. It was dirty and smelled foul, of course, but mixed with the grease and heat from the kitchen, the stench was unforgettable in the worst way. But the wooden floor was at least stable enough, so was the roof and walls, despite the occasional tear in the wallpaper. It even had electricity, but seemingly only a little, for there was just a single ceiling light turned on. Despite those setbacks, Frisk perfectly understood why this place was considered the most stable one in town. But compared to most bars on the surface though, the place was pretty much unrecognizable from a run-down motel bar you could find in a poor city neighbourhood.

Still, it proved nice enough for the town, and as Frisk saw it was filled with so many strange monsters and creatures. The place seemed almost as busy as the shelter from before. Some of the monsters she recognized from the funeral, probably here to distract themselves from the memory of it, she assumed. But there were also dozens of other monsters and monster types she had never seen before. Not all of them were even humanoid, including what resembled a large plant monster sitting in the corner of the bar, and it reminded Frisk of a piranha plant creature from old an antique musical she couldn't remember the name of.

"Hey, is that one of your kind?" Frisk asked Flowey when she saw it first. "I mean a living… plant or whatever?"

"Nah, that guy's a pure plant monster," Flowey confirmed.

"How can you tell?" Frisk asked.

"Eh," Flowey said and shrugged. "Ever seen a plant like that in nature?"

"Hmm, I think I see," Frisk said.

Of other lovely strange denizens of the bar, there was a group of three seemingly elderly monsters all playing poker by a large round table. Frisk guessed they were old judging by their crooked posture, greyness on their fur or feathers, or by what appeared to be wrinkles on some places. Or maybe they weren't even old, Frisk then considered, and maybe she was just assuming they were, based on her biased human perception of old.

The monster that caught her attention the most though was the that stood behind the bar counter. Unlike all the other monsters she had seen so far, except for maybe Sans and that one ghostly figure in the ruins, who all seemed to be resembling something organic or things that would be considered living in the surface world, be it animal or plant. This one, however, was a being of pure fire. An orange flame that took the shape of a humanoid figure, wearing what appeared to be dirty but fireproof bartender outfit complete with glasses on it's "head" that seemed to be held in the air by nothing. Currently, this flaming bartender was cleaning an empty beer glass, and judging by the position of his spectacles, the figure seemed to be watching her, Flowey and Sans approach him.

"I'm… I'm guessing that's Grillby?" Frisk asked Flowey, somewhat nervously.

"Uh-huh, that's him," Flowey confirmed.

Without even hesitating, Sans took a seat on an empty barstool in front of the counter. Then he patted on another loose seat by his left.

"C'mon kiddo, I won't bite," he said without turning back.

Frisk, starting to feel the growth of some sudden dread within her, took a seat on the stool.

"The usual Grilbz," Sans said to the bartender. "But a triple serving this time. Also, get two more for my two friends here."

The flaming humanoid nodded and walked to a back door to the kitchen.

"What's the… usual?" Frisk asked.

"Burger and fries," Sans asked. "You like burgers right?"

"Uhh… I guess?" Frisk answered.

"Come now," Sans said. "Who doesn't like burgers?"

"She's clearly not in the mood trashbag," Flowey suddenly said.

"Ok, gee," Sans said, still with a grin on his face. "Just trying to lighten the mood."

Frisk took a quick look at her flowery companion. Despite everything, she did not expect to hear something like this from him.

She then turned to look more around the bar, to further look at all the wondrous denizens. There was not much speaking going on, only some grumblings from the three gambling elderlies, or whom Frisk assumed were elderlies. Thankfully, her doubts were quickly squashed just a moment later, as some of them finally began to talk out loud, and they sounded just as cranky as they looked.

"Hey," said one that looked like a large brown elderly hen. "Did ya hear about that funeral today?"

"Ay, the one for Ivan," said one that resembled a large, reddish feathered humanoid bird wearing a greasy tanktop. "Shame about that. That boy was too young."

"Far too common now," said the third one, who looked like a human with a donkey head. "Ain't nothing like that happening under the old Asgore."

"Poor ol' Isabell," the chicken said again. "Outliving yer child. I can't imagine that."

"Mhmm," the reddish bird said simply.

"Oh right, sorry, Avy," the chicken said apologetically. "I momentarily forgot about your… about your…"

"That was several years ago," the reddish bird, Avy, said back. "Doesn't hurt me that much no more."

"I see," the chicken said.

With that, they all three became silent again. Frisk looked around the bar once more, turning in her stool to take a better look. She looked around, quickly, almost like there was something that moved in the corner of her eyes, but she always just missed once she glimpsed at its location. For some reason she couldn't understand at first, she wanted to yell at all the silent monsters to start talk or sing or even fight. Just anything that could destroy this eerie silence amongst all of them. But she realized then that this silence was possibly just a symptom of what actually bothered her. This entire bar was filled with creatures she had never seen, beings that resembled not just animals, but plants, fires and even corpses, but they all were living, breathing like her. She felt like everywhere she wasn't looking, there were stranges eyes of what were supposed to be unnatural creatures glaring at her, staring. Watching. Waiting for her to sleep, or to make a misstep. She figured she was just imagining things. But she couldn't tell anymore. She couldn't trust herself anymore, on what was real or what was-

"Hey kiddo," Sans suddenly said. "The food's here."

"Oh, right," Frisk said, mildly spooked.

Pulled from her thoughts, she turned back towards the counter, with her back to whatever horror, if any, were watching her. She looked down at her food. The burger seemed uncomfortably wet from the grease and sauce, and the fries looked stale and undesirable. But Frisk didn't think much of it and just grabbed the burger with her hands and pressed it in her open mouth.

"You seem tense," Sans said, with the same grin on his face like he was mocking her.

"Is… something wrong Frisk?" Flowey asked, but with much clearer worry than the skeleton.

"I'm fine," Frisk said, her mouth full.

It tasted just as sweaty as it looked, with the vegetables feeling soggy before they even touched her mouth, and the sauce, if there was one, was almost tasteless. But the meat was thankfully satiating, perhaps the only thing in the burger that was. Whether it was a mix of some strange seasoning or oil, it proved juice enough for her. But then it hit her. She was eating meat. So she paused and looked at it, at the half-eaten bitten insides. It looked very similar from the inside like an average burger. Even the meat.

She slowly put it down feeling a tinge of shock. She turned around back to other monsters at the bar, all munching on the same or similar burgers, including what looked like an anorexic cow.

"Uh… Flowey?" she asked.

"What?" the flower asked while clumsily eating from his plate.

"What… what are we eating?" she frightfully asked.

"It's a burger," Sans said before Flowey got a word out.

He was eating as well, just as messy, if not more, as Frisk's companion. But unlike Flowey who at least had an excuse of handicap, Sans didn't, so he clearly just didn't care how messy he looked or was.

"I know it's a…" Frisk began. "But… I mean… what's in it?"

"Oh," Sans said before licking his bony fingers. "Well, there's… vegetables. Tomatoes, kale, ketchup, meat, and-"

"Yeah, that!" Frisk said, on the verge of panicking now. "What… where does this meat come from?! I mean… where does it-?!"

"It's lab-grown," Sans causally said.

"Wait, what?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah, with magic and science," Flowey confirmed. "Stuff like that."

"Oh…" Frisk said, a bit calmer now.

She felt like the biggest idiot in the world now, but she felt also relieved along with her embarrassment.

"Oh god I thought that…" she said, smiling at her dumb assumptions.

"You thought what?" Sans asked while casually taking another bite.

"I thought that…" she began before stopping. "Nevermind."

"Does meat come from somewhere else on the surface?" Flowey asked.

"Uhh…" Frisk began, unsure of how to answer this question. "Kinda? In some places, that is. I mean, in my country it's lab-grown as well but… I just didn't expect this town to have the technology or… budget for those sorts of things."

"Well, it actually comes from The Capital," Sans said. "Used to be made here but… eh. But that's just what I read."

Clearly not interested in this subject, he took another bite of his burger.

"Ok…" Frisk said, unsure.

"Wait, where else would meat come from?" Flowey asked her curiously.

"Uhh, nowhere?!" Frisk quickly answered. "I don't know?! The farm or whatever?!"

"Hmm, ok," Flowey said and proceeded to continue with her food.

Frisk looked down at her half-eaten food. It no longer looked desirable. Whether that was due to her anxiety or embarrassment from her terrifying yet wrong sense of realization, she didn't know. She was never sure of her own emotions, even before she came to this strange world.

"Never seen you here before," said a calm yet unfamiliar masculine voice nearby.

"Uh, what?" Frisk said, taking a moment to realize it was meant for her.

She looked up and saw the burning bartender seemingly looking at her, almost with intrigue.

"You're an ape monster aren't you?" the bartender continued.

"W-why you ask?" Frisk asked nervously.

"No reason," Grillby said. "Just curious."

"Did something happen Grillby?" Flowey asked suspiciously.

"Oh, no," the bartender said. "Nothing has happened. Yet. I am in a fine mood in fact."

"Right…" Flowey replied, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Y'know, the Great Mickey is an ape monster as well," Grillby continued.

 _There's that name again_ , Frisk thought, her interest peaking but still shivering mildly from the namedrop.

"You… know him?" she pried.

"Eh, not personally," Grillby answered to Frisk's disappointment.

 _Should've known it wouldn't be that easy_ , she thought.

"Do you?" Grillby suddenly. "Do you know him? Since you're also an ape monster that is?"

"Erm… no," Frisk said awkwardly. "Not that I… know of. Must be from like a… erm... a different… tribe or something."

"Apetown has tribes?" Grillby asked with intrigue. "Huh. Didn't know that."

"Uh… yeah…" Frisk said awkwardly.

 _Please don't let this bite me in the back later_ , she thought.

"Anyway, sorry for assuming," Grillby said apologetically.

"It's… fine," Frisk said.

"Well, either way, Mickey's a true hero," Grillby said. "You should be proud. If you ask me, he's much better than this Ashu-Tsuki figure."

"Ashu-Tsuki?" Frisk repeated, her interest suddenly changing. "Huh. Why do I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before?"

"You probably have," Sans said. "They are like a local hero around these parts. Maybe you've heard it in passing from someone."

"Nah, I don't think so," Frisk said. "Or at least, not from around here I mean."

"They are more like a filthy vigilante," Grillby said with a strange hint of personal bitterness.

"Uh-huh," Sans replied, clearly in disagreement.

"Or maybe I have?" Frisk said, thinking. "I dunno. Do you know who that is, Flowey?"

"Yeah, of course," the flower confirmed. "I only remember like bits though. I know. Typical."

"Well, what do you remember?" Frisk asked him curiously.

"Nothing more than the basics, unfortunately," Flowey said. "They are some sort of a vigilante type around here, no one knows who or what kind of monster they really are and… yeah, that's about it. Nothing no one in town can't also tell you. I'm not sure if I have ever even managed to encounter _her_ personally."

"Her?" Frisk repeated.

"Oh, what did I say?" Flowey asked back. "Sorry. Think I had like a mind fart there."

"Either way, you shouldn't be listening to what the kids tell you," Grillby said. "They just don't know any better. This… Ashu-Tsuki is not to be idolized. They don't follow any rules or sense of honour, but rather their twisted self made code. Now Mickey, on the other hand, now that is a true hero. Someone I wish more kids, even my own daughter, looked up to."

"Why is that?" Frisk asked curiously.

"Well, why not?" Grillby simply said. "Mickey truly lives to his moniker of _Great_. He is strong, compassionate and-"

"Bullshit!" someone else in the bar said strongly.

It took everyone a moment to realize who said that, even Frisk who mildly recognized that voice from just moments ago. It was Avy, one of the three elderly monsters playing poker on the round table, who had spoken. Following the suit of everyone else in the bar, except for Sans, Frisk and Flowey turned to look at him. The reddish bird sat by the end of the round table, his bird face expressing tiredness and irritation, and holding a stack of cards in his feathered hand. Even his two companions stared at him in surprise.

"W-what did you just say?" Grillby asked him, sounding both insulted and nervous.

"It's bullshit," Avy reiterated. "Compassionate? Mickey? Bah. It's all lies. Cheap propaganda and you know it. Yet you perpetuate it. Why? Hell, now that I think about it, maybe you perpetuating of it is the reason you, your family and this place are so well off compared to the rest of the town."

"Are you… are you accusing me of taking bribes?" Grillby asked, now clearly insulted.

"Nah," Avy said. "Or at least not straightly. I'm just saying you're a coward. You all are. Everyone in this town is a gods-dammed coward."

He threw his cards on the table and angrily took a sip from an alcohol bottle nearby, seemingly careless about the countless eyes staring at him now. His two elderly companions seemed to sense like something was afoot and sp rushed to gather their money and things.

"I uh… I forgot to do something at home," the donkey said, clearly excusing.

"M-me too," the hen said.

And as fast as their old muscles and bones could manage, they rushed out the bar, leaving a trail of floating feathers behind them. So now only Avy sat by that table. Him against the entire town, but with a visible sense of rage, pride and assuredness.

" _What's going on_?" Frisk whispered to Flowey.

" _No idea_ ," Flowey answered, sounding confused.

"What, you all got nothing to say?" Avy asked. "Too scared to even face the truth, huh?"

"How-how dare y-you!" Grillby said in an attempt to sound tough. "Mickey is our hero. A…a true champion and a… and a…"

"Y'know, Mickey ain't gonna fuck you if you keep praising him like that," Avy said and chuckled.

Grillby, despite having no discernible facial features, still seemed clearly insulted now. But there was also a hint of fear, judging by how he trembled.

"I used to think Undyne was bad, back in the day," the old bird continued. "And yeah, she was loud, extreme and often thought with her fists rather than her brain."

He took another big swig from his drink.

"But," Avy continued once he was done. "At least she had honour. At least heart and thoughts were towards us, towards the people. And most importantly, unlike Mickey, she never _ever_ … fetishized cruelty. Or at least, never so openly."

"You're… you're saying Mickey fetishizes cruelty?" Grillby asked him.

"Oh, what else would you call it?" the bird asked without looking at him.

"You… know about Mickey?" Frisk felt herself blurt out without thinking.

It took her a moment to realize what she just asked. She didn't have the question on her mind, or at least so she thought, but the words seemed to come from some deep part within her, a part that seemed to demand answers now after being too long left in the dark.

"Heh, what gave it away?" Avy replied to her. "You're right. I do know a lot about him. A lot more than most living monsters in this town in fact. Which says a lot, considering the event with poor old Ferdinand we were all were privy to, many years back."

"We all promised Mickey and The Hunt to not talk about that with newcomers!" a young donkey monster nearby said to him sternly.

"Well, don't worry, I ain't gonna talk about that," the bird said. "Despite the fact that what happened that day was… utterly terrible."

He then took a quick look at someone else in the bar before taking another swig of his alcohol bottle.

Frisk turned to see where he looked and saw a monster resembling an unhealthily skinny brown bear in the corner, wearing a torn and dirty orange jacket and clearly too drunk to notice his surroundings. That monster seemed to be doing nothing but mumble raving nonsense to himself and drinking from a large bottle before then quickly passing out.

"Nah," Avy said, turned back to the rest of the onlookers. "I have another story. One that does more than just hint at the _depravity_ that only this "Great Mickey" is capable of, as someone like the poor ol' brother of that fat skeleton over there could tell you."

" _Wait, is he talking about you Sans_?" Frisk whispered. " _You… know something about him_."

Sans didn't answer. Just kept eating his food like he didn't hear.

" _Hey wait a minute_ ," Flowey whispered with a hint of realization. " _Did something happen to Papyrus? Sans, what happened to Papyrus?_ "

"Told you before," Sans simply answered. "I can't tell you. Sorry."

Frisk noticed the same hint of unease from him as when she first asked him about Mickey. To her, it was undebatable. He was hiding something. Something he knew about Mickey and The Royal Hunt.

"Alright," Grillby sternly said to the old bird. "What is this story you have?"

Avy grew a smug grin on his beak.

"Well go on," Flowey said to him.

"Yeah, we're ready," Frisk said, turning her attention back to the bird.

The bird took a deep breath before he put the bottle of booze to his mouth and chugged. He chugged and chugged like it was the last time he could ever do so. Then once the bottle was empty, he slammed it down on the round table, and Frisk almost expected it to shatter from the impact. Then he took a deep breath and smiled smugly again.

"So… you want to hear about Mickey?" Avy said. "Alright then. Sit down and listen. This might take long, but I will tell you all the truth about Mickey."

* * *

Author's note:

"So Jay, what did you do during the quarantine?"  
"I wrote a chapter for an Undertale Fanfiction that featured a child funeral."

So yeah, this was something. Admittedly, this might be the darkest scene so far.

No, this ain't some April fools joke. I just happen to upload this today, of all days. Once again, sorry for the delay. This was kind of a difficult chapter though, so now I at least have an excuse for it. Honestly, I don't have much to say here. I just want to say that I really want to give out these chapters on a much faster rate, but who knows? I still haven't lost interest or anything, so don't be worried. I just take my time sometimes.

Anyway, here is the next chapter. This is a bit of a downer one, I admit. The next one will be kinda gruesome though, so be prepared for that.


	20. Snowdin Part 4

**WARNING:**

 **This chapter has, perhaps, the goriest scene in the fic so far. Be advised**.

 **Snowdin - Part 4**

"This story, I can assure," Avy said to his audience. "Is one not any of you have ever heard. Something I and few others have managed to keep a secret for over a decade, starting not long after the mad ape Mickey first came from the capital, out of the castle of New Home itself, claiming to be the supposed chosen champion of King Asgore. But now, everyone else who also knew this story but kept silent is dead. Or worse. My family, my children, are long gone as well, and if I have any grandchildren he can get through, I've never heard or met them before, so it wouldn't bite me that hard. Sounds selfish, I know, but it means that no matter what I say, Mickey can't harm me except by going straight through me. So, I am the only one left with this forbidden nugget of knowledge, and without family or any people that I can't afford to lose. The only one… who can dare to tell you this particular tale."

Almost everyone in the bar, not just Frisk and Flowey, had stopped whatever they were doing, be it drinking, eating, thinking or what else. Everyone except for Sans, who seemed to be actively ignoring the situation, instead focused on the remainder of his food. Even Grillby had stopped his cleaning to watch the storyteller with nervous anticipation. Frisk had moved herself and Flowey a few seats closer to the old bird, sitting on the other end of the round table he occupied, effectively being in the front seat.

From the crowd, the young donkey-headed monster from before had given Avy another bottle of booze. The old bird had requested one, claiming his words would sound better with alcohol flowing through, and so Grillby hesitantly accepted his request purely on the condition he would pay extra next time. Something the old bird clearly didn't plan to, as to him, this story might as well be his suicide note.

"So… where to begin?" Avy said and took a sip from his drink. "Well… many say that the troubles first started the day Mickey first arrived. Others say they truly started with the war. But if you ask me, it all started perhaps much earlier than that. With the kings… growing madness. The war, and later Mickey, these were just awful inevitabilities that followed. But doubtless, most of you have probably already heard those tales, so I don't need to go over that."

"Erm… no, we haven't," Flowey admitted. "Or at least, she hasn't. Probably."

"Sorry what?" Grillby asked, sounding like Flowey was suddenly growing a second head.

"Yeah," Frisk confirmed with awkwardness. "That's… true."

"Or maybe I did," Flowey said, pondering. "But my memory is kinda… wonky these days."

"Well either way," Avy continued. "Whatever you know of Mickey, I want you to forget right now. Doubtless, you've heard countless stories of him, of his strength and "greatness" or whatnot, right?"

"N-no actually," Frisk answered. "We know nothing about Mickey. In fact, we only just heard about him for the first time like… last night."

Avy looked at them strangely, moving his bird head sideways as if it would somehow help him understand them better.

 _Oh crap,_ Frisk thought. _Maybe I shouldn't have just admitted that_.

"Y-you two really don't know who Mickey is?!" Grillby asked with some astonishment.

"Uh, yeah, I mean no," Frisk answered. "We don't know much about him… really. Barely anything in fact."

"Yeah, that's what we've been trying to say," Flowey confirmed. "That's… kinda the reason why we wanna hear this story so much."

"But… you're an ape monster too aren't you?" another monster, one resembling a small male dwarf rabbit asked. "From Apetown? I don't want to assume, but you got to have heard something, especially since he's so famous."

"Gods, just how isolated are you people?" the donkey monster asked.

"It's… complicated," Frisk excused nervously. "I mean, we know a few things. We know he's like a knight or a warrior or… something? And that he leads a group called The Royal Hunt, who are like… some sort of group of other warriors or knights I'm guessing? But that's about it. We don't know how he's like, what he looks like, how long he's been around or just… anything. I know that sounds strange and… and improbable, but-"

"Heh, don't feel embarrassed, girl," Avy said reassuringly. "Frankly, I'm not even that surprised you two outsiders don't know much about him and The Hunt, considering the constant erasure and secrecy surrounding him and his ilk."

"But, is that gonna be like a problem?" Frisk asked him. "In terms of telling your story, that is?"

"Nah," Avy said. "I will just have to take a while longer to tell it, but it's fine. I ain't going anywhere. Have no other place to go currently."

He then grabbed his new bottle again and took a big sip from it

"Now where was I?" Avy said once he finished. "Ah yes. _The beginning_."

He gave out a small cough as if to prepare.

"So," he began. "A decade ago, during the First War, I was a senior journalist working for a now bankrupted newspaper company called Snowdin's Newspaper Paper Business, or SNPB for short. Great name, I know, but it was fine enough place to work at. Either way, thanks to that profession, I have seen and experienced many things down here in the Underground most monsters haven't seen or even heard of. Awe-inspiring things, mundane things, even some terrifying things. Dark, unknown magic, that kind of thing. I was also lucky, or unlucky rather, to be one of the first to see the first hints of King Asgore's eventual despair into insanity."

His face took on a look of despair, and so he took a large gulp from his drink. Then he placed it on the table, winced, and continued.

"King Asgore has ruled this underground for thousands of years," Avy said. "Still, there weren't many complaints through most of it. He was kind enough, and The Royal Guard did a decent job upholding law and order through the centuries. But then one day, the prince and his adopted sibling died and the queen left and vanished."

"Erm… excuse me?" Flowey interrupted, raising one of his vines in the air. "I thought this was a story about Mickey."

Frisk sensed a certain tone of discomfort in her companion's voice, but then shrugged it off as her imagination.

"I'm getting there," Avy said. "But a long story short, decades later the queen suddenly returned one day, and then… she died."

"Supposedly," Flowey added.

" _Flowey_ ," Frisk sternly whispered to her companion.

" _Oh sorry_ ," he replied.

"Supposedly, yeah," Avy continued. "And after that… Asgore fell into a deep depression."

He took another gulp.

"Gah, that… was when everything started to go to shit," Avy then said. "The Royal Guard became harsher suddenly, apparently following the kings new, harsher words. Towns stopped getting supplies, and Asgore had stopped showing up altogether. Eventually, it escalated and… a rebellion was formed, and a war quickly after."

"The First War of the Underground," the donkey monster added.

"Aye," Avy said. "The first war in this underground, we called it. After thousands of years of relative peace, it must be a record. But honestly, in hindsight, I'd say it was maybe a long time coming. So long story short, the rebellion lost and the kingdom was victorious. After that, everyone was sure things would go back to normal. But I knew better than that. I knew things would never be the same again down here. Not for a long time. Those suspicions only grew stronger once Undyne, leader of The Royal Guard, retired in anger quickly after the war."

The old bird suddenly chuckled in amusement, as if he was reminded of something ironic.

"Funny thing is," Avy continued. "I thought that was a good thing at the time. I was never fond of her. Not many of us at SNPB were. I even wrote an article about it, defending that choice. Of course, we were mostly on the kingdom's side at the time, so there was some bias involved. But… I had a hunch that things would only grow worse afterwards. As it turned out, I was right."

He sighed.

"The rest of the Royal Guard followed in Undyne's steps," Avy said. "Eventually, we were without protectors. Without a group to keep order down here, besides a few lawless mercenaries here and there that cared more about the size of their bank account than about honour and justice. So quickly afterwards, there was a lot of chaos down here. Gangs were formed, even rumours of a black market. But not even King Asgore himself seemed to care about us anymore."

He became silent all of a sudden. Stared at his bottle like he was contemplating whether or not he was morally right to drink from it.

"Frankly," he continued. "I'm not even sure Asgore is even alive anymore. I always knew him to be strong of heart and mind, and not once did I consider the possibility that he could turn mad from grief. Some monsters do, yes. But Asgore was not just _some monster_. He was a Regis, or boss monsters as we call them these days. A king of kings. Eh, whatever the case, whether he was alive or dead, this is how the kingdom currently was. And that was when… _Mickey_ arrived."

There came a sudden air of discomfort in the bar, and Frisk felt suddenly shivers run through her, like the place itself had suddenly gotten colder. She also felt her attention increase tenfold, and despite the sense of dread, she wanted desperately to know more at this point.

"No one knows where he truly came from," Avy continued. "Not to mention, no-one can say anything about him before he arrived. They say he's an ape monster, but even they, isolated as they are, haven't given us anything to go off on. Even today, a decade later, little is known about him before his appearance, or even how he met Asgore and was chosen by him. If he was, that is. We hadn't heard from the king in years at this point. Then he shows up, claiming himself his champion and voice of reason. Bah. I was there when he showed. Oh, I was there. I was, in fact, one of the first to meet up face with the Mad Ape. He seemed charming enough, and strong. Very strong in fact. At my first impression, I could see why Asgore would choose him as the new leader of The Royal Guard. But even back then, I happen to notice a… a certain glint in his blue eyes. Some strange hint of darkness or evil, like in the old king but… worse somehow. At the time, I ignored it. But now, I knew I should've trusted my guts."

He took another swig, a big one this time.

"What happened then," Frisk pried.

"Then," Avy continued. "Thing's appeared to be starting of… great. We had a new order of knights, this one called the Hunt instead of the Guard. An odd choice, but we accepted it nonetheless. Even Asgore himself seemed to be getting better, although he still wasn't open to the public anymore, only talking to the higher-up, and mostly to the accursed Royal Scientist Gaster."

Frisk felt a shiver run up her skin once more at the utterance of that name. Even the way Avy said it seemed to show hints of deep grudges and hatred.

"But things still weren't great down here in Snowdin," Avy continued. "As many in this bar can tell you. Most businesses had closed except for a handful. Even our newspaper business, once the king of the town, was a sad shadow of its former self. But we Snowdin folk were hopeful. Perhaps naively so. Most of us just told ourselves it was a slow process. That Snowdin was so far away from the capital area, but that the renovations would come to us later. Hells, we even went as far as to run a campaign to give ourselves our own mayor, before even asking King Asgore for permission. We were just that optimistic."

He took another swig and eyed a sleeping bear monster in the corner of the bar. The old bird looked happy like he was reminded of something joyful. Then, his expression changed to sadness as he turned away from the bear and back to the crowd.

"But that's a story for another day, girl," Avy continued. "Days passed. Then weeks. Then months. Not once were there hints of renovations coming down here to Snowdin, and to this day, there still isn't, as you can plainly see. All talk about improvements, yet no actions were made. We were getting nervous. The optimistic spirit in us Snowdin folk was fading as quickly as it came, and the whole town was beginning to grow nervous and doubtful of the king's rule. Even hastening the unofficial mayor campaign in a desperate attempt to bring some semblance of hope during those days. But then… one of us… one of us at SNPB had an idea to lift our spirits. His name was Carson, The Angel rest his soul."

He looked at the bottle with a hint of melancholy.

"W-wait," Grillby suddenly said. "What has Carson got to do with Mickey? Didn't he die of an unrelated printing accident."

Avy chuckled heartily at that. Almost breaking into laughter, it seemed.

"That… is indeed what we said," Avy said. "That is what we all said. But the truth of Carson was just… too horrifying to reveal, even without the added danger to our lives in revealing it. But it doesn't matter now. Not anymore that is."

"W-wait what?" the dwarf rabbit from before asked, sounding incredibly bewildered. "C-Carson's not dead? After all this time? Gods, what happened to him then?! Is he still alive?! Tell me! Is my uncle still alive?!"

"Well I didn't say he wasn't dead Hari," the bird told him. "Just that we lied about how he died."

"Oh, well then," the dwarf rabbit, Hari, said, sounding disappointed but irritated. "But still, why did you lie about it though?! Why am I only now hearing about this?!"

Avy looked at the rabbit with a saddened yet uneasy expression.

"I'd suggest you leave now, Hari," the old bird said to the rabbit. "Forget about this. As the truth will be much worse than the comforting lie we gave you."

"I don't care!" Hari replied angrily. "What?! What could be so bad that you lied to me about the death of my uncle?!"

Avy looked at him, his expression showing unease like the old bird wasn't sure if he should continue. It was the first time, during this whole storytime, Frisk noticed, that he looked even the smallest bit hesitant.

"Alright then," Avy said. "But keep in mind. I did warn you, Hari."

He took another swig of his drink.

"Hmm, to put it lightly," Avy continued. "Carson was one of our best journalists. Top-notch. I'm not even afraid to say that he was better than me, and I had worked there since the company started, a hundred years prior. During the war, this brave little rabbit even went to the frontlines. Talked to Royal Guardsmen, soldiers and whatnot. Took great photos as well. He was amazing, and the company only suffered without him."

The bird nodded toward Hari the dwarf rabbit who smiled a bit in remembrance. But then the rabbit quickly stopped smiling and turned grumpy again.

" _It's not gonna work that easy_ ," he muttered.

"So as I was saying," Avy continued. "While the whole town was losing hope, and the well-intentioned mayor campaign only growing stronger through sheer bitterness and grief, there was still one outside aspect that kept us motivated. One thing that people still looked up too during these worsening times, even when our faith in the king was fading. That thing… were the stories of Mickey and The Hunt."

He turned silent again before taking another sip of his drink.

"Not one of us in town had ever met him," Avy continued. "Yet, we ignorantly adored him nonetheless. The stories of him spread like wildfire through the underground, not the least because of what we printed of him. So Carson had the idea to write a piece on him and his achievements, maybe make an interview in fact, as a sort of way to help motivate the monsters here in Snowdin. Truth is, we all needed a hero in these times. But the problem was, Mickey and his group were very isolated and didn't really let themselves be seen in public that much so reaching him was hard."

He sighed once more. This time, it was like he was reminded of a terrible mistake or oversight he made once.

"That… should've been our first clue that something was up," Avy continued. "Instead, Carson decided to look up some civilians who had encountered him and find more about him that way. Interview some farmers, city folk or whatnot from the notes we got. And so, we bid Carson farewell as he headed towards the first source. A farmer near Waterfall."

He stared at his drink for a while. His expression changed that to worry and later of pure unease. The light above flickered uneasily, and Frisk felt the air suddenly grow thicker and heavier.

"He came back several days later," Avy continued. " Our boss Octo and I… well, we were the first to greet him. But something was wrong. Very wrong, we could tell. He looked… distraught. Scared even, more so than from any of his investigation during the war. We tried to pry the truth from him, but he wouldn't tell us anything. All he said was that he discovered something. Something that just didn't fit, and so asked that we stayed away from anything suspicious related to Mickey or The Hunt for the time being, at least until he knew more for certain. Fortunately, we listened to him at first, and I dread to think what would've happened to us if we hadn't. But that wasn't the end of it. Not with Carson."

The old bird grabbed his bottle and chugged fast and hard. He chugged until there was seemingly nothing left in the bottle.

"Gah," he said and slammed it on the table. "So anyway… Carson. He… he was on to something, that much was obvious. For days he isolated himself in his house, barely leaving. Eventually, he stopped coming to work, except to get some supplies or notes, all which related to Mickey or The Hunt. After his isolation turned to weeks, our worry grew even more. We asked his neighbours if they knew anything, but nothing. Even they were surprised by his sudden isolation. Then Carson wouldn't answer our emails or calls."

"Yeah, I remember that," the dwarf rabbit Hari said, regretfully. "We just assumed he was depressed because of… well, everything."

"Heh, of course, you did," Avy said. "Don't let that bite you. I would have assumed that as well if I didn't know any better from my line of work. Anyway, one day, one of our co-worker by the name of Rudy, Angel rest his soul as well, went to his house to check him himself. When Carson answered his knocks… gods. The description Rudy gave us. In his words, Carson looked like someone who had been through hell. Restless, half-dressed and dirty, with a terrible stench, and a pure expression of worry and horror. Carson didn't let him in of course, just told him to stay away. But Rudy managed to catch a glimpse inside. Most of the apartment was trashed, unsurprisingly, but he also glimpsed a strange blackboard with dozens of scribbles, he told us. Like something you'd find at the home of some conspiracy nut. Finally, we at SNPB decided that enough was enough. Something was clearly up with Carson and his work. We had to find out what, with or without his permission."

"Well, what was it?" Frisk asked with morbid curiosity.

Avy looked at her, his face expressing disappointment.

"We… never found out," he simply answered.

"What?" Frisk replied, befuddled. "Didn't you guys like… I don't know, follow his footsteps or something."

"Yeah, we did," Avy said. "But we weren't the first to do so, it seemed. For example, I went to the aforementioned farmer's house. But when I came, I found it empty and in ruin, and judging by the smoke, it had only been destroyed recently. But the neighbours said something strange. They just said that they hadn't heard of anyone who lived there recently. That the farm had been empty for years."

"But you didn't buy that, did you?" Flowey asked.

The old bird chuckled lightly.

"Of course not," he said. "You don't survive the mass layoffs at my old journalism job unless you knew a thing or two about body language or hidden expressions and thoughts. I could tell something was off the moment I asked them about the farmhouse. I could see they were nervous. Some even appeared to be terrified of something."

"Of Mickey?" Frisk asked.

"Perhaps," Avy said. "Either way, I decided not to pry and just pretended to fall for their words. But that was not the eeriest or most glaring thing I found that day. That thing… goes to what I found inside the ruined, burnt wreckage of the farmhouse."

"W-what did you find?" Frisk asked, feeling the nervousness in her rise.

Avy didn't answer at first. He just looked at her and took a gulp from his drink, seemingly the last one. This wait just made her unease and frightful anticipation rise. Then once the old bird was finally done, he placed the drink on the table and looked sternly at his crowd of listeners.

"I found…" Avy began. "Well… besides all the strange pointy spikes and piles of white powdered dust littered about. In the basement… underneath all the wreckage… I found a wooden table covered in ropes… and _a pool of blood_."

"Wait, blood?" Frisk asked in surprise.

"That's right," Avy said. "Monster blood in fact."

She looked around the room to see if anyone was just as confused as her, or if she simply misunderstood how monsters actually worked. However, it seemed everyone was just as bewildered as her.

"I'm sorry, what?" a random voice from the back asked.

"How is that-" another voice began.

"Wait, you're sure it was monster blood?" a third monster asked.

"Ok, this overly long story is officially just nonsense," Flowey said and rolled his eyes.

"That… is…" Grillby muttered.

"But I… but I thought that monster blood turns to dust once it leaves the body?" Frisk asked the old bird.

"And you're right, girl," Avy said. "Or at least… it's supposed to. But this pool of blood didn't. In fact, it had apparently been here so long it had gotten dark in some spots."

"How… how is that possible?" Hari, the dwarf rabbit, asked.

"Heh, I asked myself the same thing back there," Avy said and smiled. "Believe me, I could make neither head nor tail of it. At first, I thought I was mistaken. Maybe it was simply ketchup or… some other strange liquid. But I tested it. Tasted it. No matter how improbable it seemed, I became certain that it was genuine monster blood that somehow hadn't dusted yet. And with the added fact that there were also ropes tied to the table, I could sense that some gruesome scene took place there. Something I dread to imagine."

"W-well, either way," Grillby said as sternly as he could to the old storyteller. "That's all fine and dandy, b-but unless you have something more, erm, _concrete_ about Mickey-"

"Oh, I'm getting there," Avy said. "Believe me, I wish that pool of blood was the worst part. But after my initial shock wore off, I took some photos and scooped up some of the blood in a bottle."

"Oh, then can we see them?" Flowey asked him.

Avy looked at him with a look of disappointment and sighed.

"I'm afraid I can't," he answered.

"Why not?" Flowey asked, with a tone of doubt.

"I burnt the photos," Avy stated.

"Wait, why?" Frisk asked in disbelief.

"You'll see," Avy just said.

"But, what about the blood then?" Flowey added.

"It has long turned to dust," Avy said. "Did so by its own. Just a few days later in fact."

"Well that's awfully convenient," Flowey said and rolled his eyes.

The old bird smiled.

"Heh, I know you don't believe me, flower," he said. "In fact, I'm not expecting any of you too."

"Then why are you telling it?" asked a monster from the back.

"Because I simply don't give a shit anymore," Avy said grumpily. "So anyway. Once I came back to Snowdin, back to SNPB, that is, I got some… bad news. Carson had gone missing. Rudy and some other co-workers went to check his house. When he didn't answer the knock for almost half an hour, they… well, invited themselves in. They looked everywhere for Carson. All the rooms, the basement and attic. No trace. It was like he had vanished from this earth. But the strangest thing was, as Rudy put it, he couldn't even find the blackboard he managed to glance at in his last visit. Nor any of his research."

"Someone had taken it?" Frisk guessed.

"Most likely," Avy said. "I showed my boss and co-workers my photos, and from what we gathered, we were too scared to tell others we were looking for him. Still, we called some of his friends, relatives and neighbours."

"Yeah, I remember that," Hari said. "Always thought it was weird. How you just asked if I've seen him but then immediately hung up once I denied."

"I'm sorry for that, Hari," Avy said. "Wish we could've told you. But it was for the better. Trust me."

"Yeah, I'll be the judge of that soon," Hari said, grumpily.

"What happened next?" Frisk asked.

"Then," Avy began. "We tried to look up the other sources Carson had. Secretly, of course, in what was a futile attempt to trace his investigation, and hopefully, find him through that. But, like the farmhouse, they all came out blank. Days passed. Then weeks. Eventually, we gave up and moved on."

"And not once did you tell us Carson was missing?!" Hari asked.

"Oh, we were going to," Avy continued. "But then, one day, just as we were about to, SNPB was unexpectedly delivered… an unmarked box."

He paused once more. The old bird then looked around the eager crowd, face expressed with fear like he was too scared to continue.

"What was in it?" Frisk calmly asked the old bird.

"Another drink, please?" Avy suddenly requested, not even looking at her.

"What?" Frisk replied, confused.

"My bottle is empty," the bird said. "Another one Grillby? Something much stronger this time. Much, _much_ stronger."

"Erm… ok then…" the bartender replied, sounding reluctant. "I think I have… something like that around here."

The flaming bartender kneeled under the bar counter and picked up a large, green bottle of some indistinguishable liquor. The old bird took a quick look at it and nodded.

"Just throw it," he said.

"Er… ok…" Grillby said. "Catch."

He threw it in the air across the bar, and Avy grabbed it with his winged hand, the hard glass clanking as it touched his pointy claws. He then bit the tap off with his beak, rudely spat it onto the ground, the sediment spewed out from the top in abundance. Then without saying a word, he proceeded to chug loudly.

The lack of any other noise had grown uncomfortable, yet, strangely enough, not one of the other monster decided to speak up in his stead, and it dawned on Frisk that the worst part of the tale was probably about to be revealed soon. If this was obviously fiction, she would've been morbidly excited. But she wasn't sure what to believe, and since there was an undeniable sincerity in the old bird, Frisk was dreading to hear more. She felt like she had to force herself to stay and listen on. She knew she just had to find out what kind of figure, what kind of monster, this Mickey was.

Finally, after an uncomfortably long gulp, the old bird placed the bottle on his table. He grinned and shook his head like the taste was incredibly disgusting. The smell that followed was indeed so.

"Alright, you got your drink," Flowey said with mild impatience. "Now tell us. What was in that box?"

The bird stared at his new drink like a statue. The sediment ran out his mouths, over his chest and shirt, but he remained unmoving and uncaring. Then finally, he continued.

"Alright," he began. "So here is… how it happened…"

 _Several years ago…_

"This is… weird," Rudy said, looking at the large, mahogany box. "You said there was no note with it?"

The black-haired reindeer monster stood over the strange mahogany box alongside many of his co-workers. It was about the size of a small storage crate and mostly blank with the only thing standing out being the carved Deltarune symbol on the front, underneath the numbered combination lock. It was the symbol of the kingdom and was represented by a set of two bird-like wings attached to a sun that hovered above three small triangles.

The box had been moved inside the SNPB building and placed on a vacant work desk near the entrance and was now circled by most of the workers in the building. More and more people showed up here and there once they heard of the strange situation going on.

"Yeah, nothing," Avy confirmed. "No letters. No stamps. Nothing. It's like it just appeared by itself outside the building."

"I think it's from the capital," the secretary, Hendur said. "Judging by the symbol and its fanciness."

Hendur was from a rare yet extremely bizarre-looking monster type, even compared to most monster standards. Often called "Handymen" by other races, his race had the appearance of an average-sized blue-skinned humanoid with a large human palm in place of a head.

"What's in it?" asked a worker lady who resembled a skinny frog in a business suit.

"I don't know," Rudy said, his hand on his chin. "Has anyone ordered anything recently? On the company's name, that is?"

No one in the small crowd came forward.

"Tried opening it?" the janitor, a youngish female Loox, asked.

"Of course we have," Avy said, almost dismissively. "It's locked tight."

"Well… I could probably pry it," the same Loox suggested. "I am pretty strong after all. Probably won't need to get my tools. "

Rudy shook his head.

"Nah, that's not a good idea," the reindeer said. "It could be… rigged or something."

"Rigged?" Avy asked him.

"I mean… yeah…" Rudy began. "There were a lot of experiments with bombs and traps during the war. And I've heard stories of humans using similar methods with mail on the surface."

"But who would want to kill us?" Hendur asked him. "And why is this box so finely made and also marked with the royal insignia then? Unless you are suggesting the king or someone in the council is holding some vengeful grudge against the company, which while possible, would be-"

"I… I don't know, ok?" Rudy answered. "Let's just… let's just be safe for now before we do something we'll regret."

"I'm just pointing out," Hendur said. "The idea that someone from high up in the kingdom would send us a package bomb is very improbable, and-"

"What's going on here?" a calm, yet slightly worrisome voice from behind the crowd asked.

It was Octo, their boss. Octo, like their nickname hinted at, was a monster resembling a large octopus. They had 6 eyes on a bulbous cone-like body, and no solid limbs, unless you'd count the countless tentacles they use to crawl around with.

With their arrival, everyone that worked at the building had officially shown up here. Once Rudy saw Octo, he turned towards Hendur with a bewildered expression.

" _You didn't let them know, Handy_?" the reindeer whispered.

"I didn't think it was that important," Hendur simply answered. "Octo has been going through a lot of trouble nowadays. What with the passing of their mother and the breakup before that, so adding more baggage on an already unstable mind would be counterproductive. Also, I have told you before to stop calling me Handy."

"G-guys," Octo said, trembling in nervousness. "I asked… w-what's going on?"

"There's this… unmarked box that was sent here, boss," Rudy explained to Octo. "You didn't… order anything recently for the company, have you?"

"Erm… I can't say that I have," Octo answered, thinking. "Or… maybe I have but… hmm… Nah. Don't think so."

Rudy turned back to the box and sighed.

"Great…" he muttered.

"Well… what's in it?" Octo asked nervously.

"We don't know," Avy said.

"Yeah, it's locked," Rudy said. "The key requires a numbered code. But we got nothing to go off. No letter or anything came with."

"I'm starting to think it is simply a mixup with the post office," Hendur suggested.

"Wait, did you mention this had a numbered code lock earlier?" Octo asked with a tone of realization.

"Erm… yeah," Rudy answered.

Octo stared at him thoughtfully for a bit. Then, they said:

"I… think I might know it."

Avy, Rudy, Hendur and several co-workers looked at them in surprise.

"Wait, what?" Rudy asked.

"It's a big shot," Octo said. "But I… I have a special code me and my family often use. For… well, everything. Safe deposits, email accounts, that sorts of things."

"Hmm," Rudy said and looked at Avy and Hendur.

"Well, it's worth a shot if you ask me," Avy said.

"Agree," Hendur said.

"Well… alright then," Rudy said.

The crowd opened up to allow their boss to reach the chest. Octo crawled through the opening and slowly and carefully placed two of their front tentacles on the lock.

"Alright," they said. "Let's see here."

They proceeded to turn the dials while muttering seemingly nonsense to themselves here and there. After a few seconds, a soft but clear click came as the lock came loose and fell off.

"Aha!" Octo expressed. "Well, I'll be. It worked."

They placed one of their tentacles on the lid to open it.

"WAIT!" Rudy suddenly yelled. "Don't! Open! It! Yet!"

Octo and all of Rudy's co-workers looked at him in confusion.

"W-why not?" Octo asked nervously.

"We don't… we don't know what's in there," Rudy explained. "It could be a trap… a bomb or some sort of poisonous gas. I mean, there must be a reason it came unmarked."

"I've told you, Rudy," Hendur said. "It's highly unlikely that anyone would want to kill us or Octo, especially if it's either someone who knew their family's secret code or one from higher up who could afford to just give away a box of this expensive type. Or both."

"Well… maybe they found out about the code somehow," Rudy suggested. "And maybe they… I dunno, stole the box or something?"

"That seems like a lot of assumptions based on nothing we have," Hendur said.

"Erm… guys?" one of the young male co-workers, resembling a tall rabbit monster, said nervously.

"I mean… is it really that bad to take cautions?" Rudy asked Hendur. "At least we should open it in a private room or something?"

"Guys?!" the young male co-worker yelled again.

"What?" Rudy said to the young rabbit, somewhat irritated.

The young rabbit monster pointed at the box, shaking.

"T-there is something… leaking from it," he frightfully said.

Rudy and Hendur stopped their debates and took a look. Indeed, there was something strange leaking from a tiny crack in the bottom. It was a small quantity of strange and thick gooey white liquid.

Hendur dipped his index finger in some of it, from a finger on one of his two smaller hands, not the big one on his head, and licked. He spat it out immediately.

"Guh," he expressed. "Tastes like… metal?"

He suddenly turned silent and looked down at the white ooze he spat out. Even without a face, the others could read that something was wrong.

"What is it?" Avy asked.

"We should move the box," Hendur said with utmost seriousness. "Let's not open it. Or at least, not just yet."

"Oh, now you agree with me?" Rudy said with surprise.

"Why?" Avy asked. "What's in it?"

"Not sure," Hendur said. "But… it doesn't seem good."

"L-let me open it in private then," Octo suggested.

All the workers looked at their boss like they just suggested committing suicide.

"Are you serious?" Avy asked.

"Y-yes," Octo said. "Whatever is in there was obviously meant for me, judging by the code and… and the fact that it was sent here. To my business."

"Are you sure about doing this?" Rudy asked. "I mean… if someone is trying to kill you… you know what? Let me open it instead, I-"

"No Rudy," Octo said as sternly as they could. "I am your boss and… while I don't see who would want me dead or why… I… I understand the risk but as your boss, I'm giving you an order. I will open it."

Rudy, Avy and several others looked at Octo with shock, surprised at their sudden portrayal of bravery. But Hendur didn't look surprised. He looked simply amused as if this was a long time coming.

"Erm… alright then," Rudy said. "Take it then."

Several minutes later, Octo had moved with the box outside behind the building. Rudy and several others waited by the back door room, while Avy sat by, talking to Octo through the phone on a speaker. The old bird took notice that it was very reminiscent of bomb-defusing situations from old human movies that floated dow here, which considering the info at hand, it might as well be. But he found no amusement from it, as he would if it were a much better, less intense moment.

"Have you opened it?" Avy asked through the phone.

" _Not yet_ ," Octo answered.

One of their many tentacles was used to hold the phone to their ears, two of their other ones were ready to grab the lid open and the rest was in a position to make a run for it if need be. There came a moment of uneasy quiet from them that lasted for several moments.

"Octo?" Avy asked worryingly. "Still there?"

" _Yeah_ …" they answered. " _Just… nervous is all_."

"I can still open it for you," Rudy said, who stood behind Avy.

" _No, no, no…_ " Octo answered. " _It's for the best if I open it and… and I'm not gonna be responsible for the death of a worker_."

"You won't be-" the reindeer monster began.

" _Rudy, please_ ," Octo said to him. " _I… I've always been cowardly and… you know I want to change and… I can't do that if I don't take any risks, and even if this is just minor… just let me do this for you guys, ok? You've all done so much for me. It's only fair I should return the favour._ "

"Hmm, alright," Rudy said, thinking. "Just… be careful Octo."

" _I will_ ," Octo answered nervously.

The octopus monster went quiet for another few moments. Then they took a deep breath.

" _Alright_ ," Octo said to themselves. " _C'mon, you coward, you… let's get this over with_."

There came a sound through the phone of a wooden lid being removed.

" _Oh…_ " Octo muttered frightfully through the phone. " _Oh, gods…!_ "

"Octo?" Avy asked. "What's in there?"

" _I-it's… it's…_ " Octo stammered. " _Oh… oh, my gods! Carson! I… I…_ "

Suddenly, Octo gave out a large wail of pure horror.

"Octo?!" Avy asked, worryingly.

There was no answer.

"Octo?!" Avy repeated. "OCTO?!"

Before he could process this, the backdoor besides the workers suddenly burst open, and Octo stumbled backwards through it and clumsily fell on the floor. They seemed to have almost fainted, and they shook wildly on the floor. Avy, not even bothering to think of the phone, carelessly let it drop on the ground as he, Rudy and Hendur went to help their boss. They lifted them up, while the rest of the workers watched in confusion and worry. Meanwhile, Octo was panting and sweating wildly, their six eyes showing pure terror and disbelief, and they pointed one of their shaky tentacles towards whatever they had just witnessed.

"Are you alright?!" Avy asked. "W-what was in the box."

"I… I…" Octo stammered, out of breath.

Suddenly, they then proceeded to throw up, hitting the floor, the roof and even Avy himself.

"Gah," Avy exclaimed.

The old bird brushed off some of the vomit of himself before it quickly dissipated into a pile of dust. Then, as he was busy with that, Avy felt like someone just brushed past him. It was Rudy, who curiously headed towards the box.

"Rudy, what are you-!" Avy began.

Suddenly, as soon as the reindeer monster looked into the open box, he grabbed hold of his large mouth as if to hold in a vomit.

" _Oh, dear gods_ ," Rudy muttered under his palm.

"W-what is it?" Avy asked nervously.

"Don't… don't come near here," the reindeer said, shaking. "Whatever you do… d-don't come here.."

Avy looked at Hendur and the Loox janitor who held Octo and then looked at the other frightful bystanders. But despite his friend's warning, Avy decided to ignore it, knowing it was possibly foolish.

"Wait, here," Avy said and let go of Octo.

Avy stood up and headed outside towards the now open box. Hendur was the only one to carry Octo now. It proved to be a difficult job, but he still managed. Avy could feel his heart pounding nervously as he neared the object, feeling more terror than ever before. The box ahead felt like a window into some unspeakable horror. Then he looked at Rudy, who leaned his back against the building, still holding his mouth and looking incredibly disturbed and distraught. Then, Avy gazed on whatever laid in the box.

"By the Angel," the old bird blurted out.

At first glance, the thing that was cramped inside the undersized box looked like a strange writhing gooey thing, resembling a pale, bloody and incredibly large fetus that might as well been ripped prematurely from a pregnant mother's womb. Avy didn't recognize what it was at first, but when he quickly the examined the pulsing thing closer and pieced the awful hints together, he felt a rush of pure unadulterated horror writhe like mad tendrils underneath his skin and up to his neck. He took a few steps backwards, shaking at this utter display of pure psychopathy.

Cramped in there was the body of a dwarf rabbit monster, utterly mutilated nearly beyond recognition. His eyes had been carved out, leaving 2 bloody holes, and a smile was forcibly shewn with barb wires. Its fur was mostly flayed off, showing the bloody pink skin underneath, and the cuts were so deep in some places, you could see muscles and even bones. In one part, Avy thought he could glimpse at his innards. His texture was also incredibly gooey, like an ice cream slowly melting in immense heat, and his limbs seemed to have vanished into a puddle of melted flesh and fur at the bottom. To make it worse, the old bird felt like he was staring at him. His eyeless face with the sewn grin looked pleading and hopeless as if they were begging to be snuffed out. So now, the horrifying part was the possibility that he was still alive, writhing in either pain, fear or some horrid combination of both. Avy couldn't tell if he was but hoped to his gods he wasn't.

Avy was so shaken, he didn't even notice that the rest of his coworkers had joined beside him in witnessing this horror.

"Oh no!" one co-worker gasped.

"Is… that…" another one said.

"What sick fuck…?!" a female one said.

Even Hendur, stoic as he usually was, shook wildly in terror and disbelief. Avy couldn't even stand straight. His world appeared darkening around him. He couldn't believe this was happening. He refused to. This was a dream. Some horrid nightmare. Had to be, for what person, what _demon_ on this good earth was capable of performing such horrifying acts. But, no matter what happened. He couldn't wake up. And he felt like was going to grow mad with denial and frustration. And then he fainted, once the truth dawned on him, for it was too terrible for the old bird to bear.

"None of us dared to scoop Carson out of that box for the longest time," Avy said to his the audience at the bar. "Eventually, the body and goo dusted. But that took an agonisingly long time. Days, in fact, with hours just for his ears to be gone. I just hope he was already dead at that point."

He took a quick sip from his drink.

"That's not all though," Avy then continued. "Once he was gone, we at SNPB got the answer to our questions in the most… terrible manner. Turns out, there was a second gift in the box, laying underneath whatever remained of Carson. It was a letter, marked with the royal Deltarune symbol, nowadays used as the official insignia The Royal Hunt. It included a videotape and a note, telling us Carson had dug too deep and then asking for all of us remaining members of SNPB to watch the tape at the same time, and afterwards, destroy it in whatever manner we pleased, which we did, like the good dogs we were. In that video, all the doubts about what happened to Carson was erased."

He took a deep breath.

"That video is… the most disturbing thing I've ever seen, to say the least," Avy continued. "To this day, I still can't erase a single aspect of it from my memory. I won't explain it in detail, for I will spare you that awfulness. But too put it short, it included nothing but 30 minutes of footage, fully edited by the way, of one of Mickey's lackeys, a mad goblin woman by the name of Vissie, having… her way with Carson. It was… like watching some fucked up snuff film. Nothing was spared in it, but we were still too terrified to look away, afraid to disobey Mickey's order, now knowing what he and his Hunters were capable of. Speaking of, he was also in it, just out of frame, so we didn't catch him at first. He did nothing but sit by, smoke and watch Vissie do her tortures, injections and flayings while Carson screamed through all of it. And screamed. Gods. His screams. Meanwhile, Mickey just sat by. Watching. And for a moment, he smiled."

He took a deep pause now as if to let his audience take in what he said. No one said anything. No one could say anything. Not a mutter was made, not a sound was uttered.

Frisk didn't notice the quietness this time. Nor did she care for it. She didn't know what to say, what to think even. Nothing but dread filled her mind at the moment. She had a hunch the other creatures at the bar thought the same, and she nervously looked around. As she expected, almost all the strange creatures, the fiery bartender, the talking animals, stared at the storyteller in disbelief and horror. Even Flowey looked utterly baffled. The only one who didn't was Sans, who instead stared down at his now empty plate. Frisk wasn't sure he even heard the story, or maybe not even the worst part. Yet, there was a hint of empathy in his expression, like he heard the horror, but was mostly unfazed by it. Like he knew it beforehand or maybe even expected it.

"Gods…" Hari said, breaking the silence, voice wracked with shock. "Uncle Carson… I… fuck me…"

"W-what happened next?" Flowey then asked, voice shaken.

"Next, we lied to his family," Avy answered. "Told them Carson had died of an unrelated workplace accident and then sent them his dust. We also told them he had died quickly and painlessly."

He took another sip of his drink.

"Another lie, of course," he then added. "Either way, we at SNPB did not dare to approach Mickey or The Royal Hunt ever again after that. Just kept writing out the propaganda we were sent, to scared to tell others the truth of him for the longest time. Thankfully for Snowdin though, Mickey and The Hunt came to town not long after for an unrelated event, and… well, many in town got a chance to see just how The Hunt actually does their work. A few years later, SNPB went bankrupt and our boss Octo vanished. No one knows where they are though, but many suspect they committed suicide. Then as time passed, all the rest, Hendur, Rudy, everyone else that knew of Carson and the tape passed away until I was the only one left. And then… well, here we are."

He grabbed his drink and chugged. And chugged, and chugged until seemingly not a drop remained. It was like he was cleaning the filth he had just spewed out. Frisk, finally able to think properly again, found herself no longer lost for words.

"Holy fucking shit…" Frisk blurted out, uncontrollably. "That guy… Jesus. He sounds like a… like a fucking animal."

Frisk was about to call him a monster, but then managed to stop herself at the last moment.

"An animal eh?" Avy asked back. "Heh. Aye, I can see that. But I wouldn't give him that much credit. Animals are wild, often driven by instincts rather than intellect or will. They can be empathetic as well. Nah, I wouldn't call Mickey an animal, for there is a hint of… awareness in his work. Some sick, twisted semblance of calculating intellect. Do you know why there was blood in the farmhouse? Why often, he and the hunt leave behind bodies that are often solid for some time post-death?"

"N-no, why?" Frisk nervously asked.

"Because before the final blow, they inject them with something," Avy explained. "Some small essence of determination that keeps their bodies solid for a while, not enough to bring them back or keep them alive, but enough so that they won't dissipate so quickly."

"Erm… ok," Frisk nervously replied, more confused by the answer. "But… why? What's the point of that?"

"Yeah," Flowey agreed. "Seems like too much trouble for… nothing. If they are still dead, then why keep them solid?"

"Well it's simple," Avy said. "It's so Mickey and The Hunt can _mutilate them_."

"Jesus…" Frisk muttered.

"Hang them around or stuff 'em like art pieces," Avy continued. "You can't do much with nothing but pure dust. But he found a way around that. Somehow, he was desperate enough for it. Mhm. So yeah. He's closer to a _demon_ if anything. A wicked creature of pure evil that lives on the agony of others."

He took another pause and sighed in deep contemplation. After a few moments, the muttering with the others finally returned, and Frisk was relieved to hear even just a little bit of life in the bar. She turned to Sans, who still just stared down at his now empty plate. She then looked at Flowey, who like the old storyteller, seemed to be now deep in thought.

"I… think we should go now, Frisk," Flowey then suddenly said.

"Yeah…" Frisk agreed. "Sans?"

"Sure kiddos," the skeleton replied in his strangely cheerful manner.

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a torn wallet. His usual chill voice felt somewhat sudden in this air of melancholy, yet Frisk didn't feel the one bit surprised by it. She was sort of glad in fact.

"Keep the change Grillbz," Sans said to the bartender as he reached into his wallet.

He then slammed on the bar counter what looked like several gold coins. Grillby looked mildly spooked by the slam, seemingly having also been in deep thought just a moment ago. He took a closer look at the coins, counting them with his finger.

"There's not much change…" he said blankly.

Sans stood up from his chair and shrugged.

"Eh, it's free money either way," he said and then turned to Frisk. "Ready kiddos?"

"Yeah, sure," Frisk replied.

She grabbed the bag holding Flowey and placed it on her back. She then stood up and followed the bulging skeleton to the exit.

"Erm… shouldn't we just… teleport?" Frisk asked him with nervousness.

"Nah, it's too tiring," Sans answered. "Besides. My house is just a short walk away."

With that, the bar door closed behind them, and Frisk felt a rush of hidden terror rush through her body as she thought back to the story. It also dawned on her she had finally found the truth about Mickey, the person that would go after her should her humanity be discovered. If even just one aspect of this story was true, then Frisk wished she never even heard it in the first place. She wished she could go back to her blissful ignorance, where she was only able to imagine what this Mickey was and what he was capable of, which most likely wouldn't even be close to the apparent truth.

Everyone attempted to go back to their business, although reluctant and with an air of dread hanging above everyone. Hari, the dwarf rabbit, left in clear distraught. He told the others at the bar that he forgot to do something important. No one really bought it.

Avy still sat by the round table, reminiscing about everything he said. He felt happy. He didn't expect to, but then realized it was good to finally get this horror he carried out at last, after more than a decade of uncomfortable secrecy.

Before he noticed, the young donkey monster from before had taken a seat beside him. Avy looked at the young monster, who had an expression of worry and sadness.

"You know Mickey's gonna hurt you for this," the donkey said in a warning tone. "He doesn't take broken promises lightly. You know that right?"

The old bird simply smiled.

"Oh, I've heard," Avy answered casually. "I know he will come for me. In fact, I had that on my mind before I told the tale."

The donkey stared at him, surprised by his answer.

"But then… why did you…?" he blurted out.

"Why tell the story?" Avy replied, and chuckled. "Heh, no real reason I think. I've lived a long enough life. Too long in fact. And I've already lost everything. It was about time I went out. Might as well make an impact with it. But please, go away now, young man. My story is over. Let me at least spend my possible last remaining hours in peace."

With that, he grabbed his new drink and chugged wildly, savouring it like it was the last time he would ever drink again, which considering everything, he was more than certain it was.

* * *

Author's note:

...yeah.

Sorry about that.

So to the several of you who read these notes, I would also like to apologize for the delay of this one. No real reason for it tho.  
Thing is, as soon as I was satisfied with this chapter, I wanted it out and done with and decided to just do the notes later. Thing is, I kinda got busy after that, with schoolwork, my gaming backlog and writing the next chapter (which I expected to finish before the end of April, but then I hit a wall and... I'll explain why in the next chaptet notes. But the good news, you wont have to wait long for that chapter.)

Anyway, onto my thoughts.

So I dont think I lied when I said this would be one of the goriest chapter so far. I kinda went all in and honestly? Maybe I did go a bit far. But if you are wondering, yes. Carson the dwarf rabbit is dead, dont you worry.  
I was also, crazy as it sounds, kinda excited to get to this chapter. I wanted to give a big hint as to what Frisk and co are up against in this AU, and what better way than a pure display of what they do to spies and vultures.  
The main inspiration for this scene (and if you didn't think it was obvious, it could be in hindsight) was that one part in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5. You know the one? With Sorbet and Gelato? Those two gay dudes that die of screen?  
But honestly, I dont remember if I completely based the scene on that. I think I always wanted a scene along these lines that just display the utter evilness of the villains before even introducing them properly. Although, I will say, their "arrival" is... not far off...

But if you read the old prequel story, all that wont apply to you so... (but frankly, thinking back, I am not really proud of that story anymore. It feels kinda cheesy and even cringy reading back. But that might just be me though. It was my first published fanfic and I still hadnt gotten much hang on writting. Im even considering rewriting it someday, also partly because Ive gotten bunch more ideas for this AU and some of it might contradict that prequel story so... well just see what I decide, wont we?)

Anyway, enjoy this super fun chapter based on the family friendly game of Undertale and Ill see you seen with the next chapter. Hopefully.

... oh and if your wondering about the politics bear story? Oh you arent? Well either way, I still havent given up on it yet. Even tho its been several months, I still want to continue it and I am strangely proud of it as well. Im just trying to map it out better because besides the ending of it and a few scenes, I am mostly making stuff up as I go along with it, and while that is fun... I also need to plan it better if I want it to be cohesive.

But I do have ideas for it, trust me. In fact, this chapter even has cameos of a few characters from that spin off story, and also a big hint of a particularly big... lets say moment in it, if you can find it. So dont worry. Its not dead just yet.


	21. Snowdin Part 5

****Snowdin Part 5****

No longer absorbed in the air of heat and thick dampness in the bar, Frisk felt the cold become much more striking now. Especially in her feet area, where her missing shoe was.

But she didn't care much for it at the moment. She couldn't care much of anything, in fact, for her mind was wracked with thoughts and terror.

"Y-you didn't actually believe that story, did you, Frisk?" Flowey asked her.

Frisk wanted to answer with an assured no. Normally, she wouldn't think twice on a story like that, for it felt so absurd, so exaggerated in its goriness and detail that how could she rationally believe it? This time, however, she wasn't sure. She just felt dread, and desperately didn't want to think about it anymore. Instead, she decided to just tell her companion the truth. Or at least, the closest thing she felt was the truth.

"I don't… I don't know what to believe in anymore," Frisk admitted. "But if it's true then… Jesus."

"Uh-huh," Sans said in his chill voice.

"How far away is the house," Frisk asked, trying to change the subject.

"Not long," Sans said. "Just beyond the library. Been in there?"

"Yeah, we… we took a look," Frisk said.

"Real treat the owner huh?" Sans asked sarcastically.

"Oh you can't imagine," Flowey said and rolled his eyes. "Know anything about that?"

"Mm, no," Sans said. "Nada."

"He said something about a bribe," Flowey added. "I think. Mentioned it while he was talking to RG 01 back when he was in town a moment ago. Although, I think "talking" is putting it lightly."

"I don't know much about any bribe," Sans said. "But it would explain why the place is still open. Eh. I'm sure it's not that important. At least not to us, that is."

"Uh-huh," Frisk simply said.

If she was in the mood, she would've commented on the strange hint of friendship she felt she gathered in that short dialogue between the two of them, despite the usual chemistry she had grown used with them. Instead, she just nodded and kept walking.

"Hey, kiddo," Sans suddenly said to her. "Noticed you are only wearing one shoe."

"Oh right," Frisk replied, removed from her thoughts.

She had gotten so used to it, to the missing shoe, that she almost forgot about it. That and the snow, strangely enough, didn't prove as cold or distracting to walk on in nothing but her bare sock.

"Yeah, that's a long story," Frisk added.

"Eh, you don't need to tell it," Sans said. "But we have some spare shoes at home if you want. Sure some of my brother's would fit you nicely."

"Erm… thanks," Frisk replied, unsure.

"You may even have both of the pair," Sans added. "In case you don't want to look like a clown with two different shoes on both your legs."

"Hmm, yeah, that'd… be weird," Frisk simply said.

"Are you alright?" the skeleton suddenly asked.

"Excuse me?" Frisk replied.

"Bothered about that story at Grillby's, eh?" Sans asked.

"N-no I-," Frisk began. "Alright, yeah. A bit."

"Don't let it bite ya that hard kid," Sans said. "Know it sounds easy but… just try not to think about it for now. Whether it's true or not, you can't do anything about it so… why care? Works for me all the time."

"Erm, alright…" Frisk said, unsure.

"That's the spirit," Sans said, jokingly.

"But… was it true though?" Frisk asked nervously.

"Hmm?" Sans asked back.

"What the old bird dude said about Mickey?" Frisk clarified. "Is Mickey… really like that."

Sans didn't say anything, just kept his pace. But his eerie silence proved all the answer she needed, and the terror within her only rose. Her frightful thoughts now came tumbling down like an avalanche, but before they could pile up and suffocate her, the thoughts were stopped as she suddenly felt something poking her back. She turned around and saw Flowey trying to get her attention with his vines.

" _Hey_ ," he whispered to her. " _Stop walking_."

And so Frisk did. The skeleton, who heard the flower as well, followed suit.

" _W-what is it_?" Frisk whispered anxiously.

Flowey slowly pointed with one of his vines towards a strange creature that stood just outside the library. It was a monster that resembled an old, anthropomorphic deer. He seemed short but only due to the fact his back was incredibly crooked, so he leaned incredibly forward like a great force was weighing him down. What seemed to be a beard resembling the mane of a goat hung from his chins, and his eyes, grey and tired, lay underneath a pair of spectacles. He had one single remaining reindeer horn which was old and withered, looking like a rotten branch about to crumble. In terms of clothing, he dressed very lightly, consisting of almost nothing but a wool robe that resembled a carpet more than anything and he held an old, withered stick that seemed to be fitted as a cane.

In short, Frisk didn't find that monster to stand particularly out from the rest of the poor creatures in Snowdin, but the sudden urgency from Flowey just made her slightly scared of him, as if this old creature, once seeing her, would suddenly lunge at her at incredible speed and devour her like trolls from the old stories.

"Well crap," Sans said.

" _That's old man Dunder_ ," Flowey whispered.

" _Who is_ -?" Frisk began.

" _We should get out of here_ ," Flowey whispered then sighed. " _Can't believe I'm asking for his help, but… Trashbag_?"

"Noted," Sans said.

" _Hey, what's going_ … on?" Frisk said.

Before she finished, the bulging skeleton grabbed her shoulder and suddenly, the air got heavier, not as much as in the bar though, and she found herself standing no longer standing in snow but rather a warm carpet in what appeared to be the living room of someone's home.

"Well, that could've gone smoother," Sans said. "Eh. Whatever. Welcome to my place, kiddos."

In terms of design and texture, his home was probably much better off compared to the rest of the houses in town, having warm air and working electricity. The wallpapers were coloured a brownish red, and the floor had a carpet with a fancy wave-like pattern.

But in terms of the rest, the furniture, clothing and sense of cleanliness, it was pretty close to what Frisk imagined his house would be, judging by what she could guess and figure out about the strange skeleton's character. The furnitures in the living room included a green torn sofa, one small table holding an open bag of chips, a bigger one for dining, and an old dusty looking antique television pushed against one wall. Countless stains and stenches of varying flavours and origins covered these furnitures, alongside some dirty laundry on the sofa and floors. More stains were on the wallpapers which also had tearings in it, and to say the floor was dirty would be an understatement. Even more dust and dried out stains of various colours filled the floor, red, yellow, brown and black. There was also a staircase leading to a second floor and an open kitchen tied to the living room with no door in between. Frisk only took a quick glance at the aforementioned kitchen before she had enough, as the surprisingly tall sink was filled with unwashed dishes, plates and other appliances of the sort. Even the small table in the kitchen was a victim of the same slobbiness and laziness as the rest of the house, filled with dirty plates holding half-eaten burgers that had become home for a group of flies.

Suffice to say, a nest would be a better term for the place, and soon, the warm air turned so heavy it was as if it had never gotten a single breeze from the outside. Out of the two of them though, Flowey seemed to be more surprised than her by the look of the place.

"W-what the… heck?" he asked, baffled. "Hey, trashbag. You sure you got the right place?"

"I mean, unless there is another family of slobs with an identical house in a snowy place underground," Sans answered. "Then yeah. I think this is the right place."

"Family of slobs?" Flowey repeated in bafflement. "But… but Papyrus isn't a-"

"But now that you say it," Sans began. "Maybe there is another family of slobs in an identical house in a snowy place underground. Hmm."

"H-hey, what is that smell?" Flowey suddenly asked.

"What smell?" Frisk asked him.

"You need to be a little more specific in this house," Sans said.

"Just… just pay attention," Flowey said with a hint of annoyance.

Frisk now stood still, absorbing the countless odours of the place. After a few moments, she noticed that one stood out, not just in its strength, but also strange familiarity. That stench grew slowly, but surely in its intensity until it drowned all the other odours in the place. Quickly after that, Frisk saw that a subtle green hue was coming down the stairs from some unseen origin. That wasn't what surprised her the most though. What did was that now she finally realized why the stench felt incredibly familiar to her.

"H-hey I know that smell," Frisk said. "That's… that's frigging weed. Just… stronger somehow."

"Weed?" Flowey asked curiously. "How the heck do you know what weed smells like? Wait a minute. Frisk? Are you telling me you-"

"No, I… my dad is a junkie," Frisk quickly answered before Flowey finished.

"Oh," Flowey replied, sounding sorta surprised.

 _God, why the hell did I just reveal that to him_? Frisk thought.

"Oh yeah, that smell," Sans said and sighed with disappointment. "Baron's breath, it's called. Some type of drug cigars that… it's what my bro smokes a lot these days."

"What?" Flowey said, sounding befuddled once more. "Since when does Papyrus smoke?"

"Since a few years ago," Sans said. "Hey, can you wait here a moment kiddos? Need to talk to my bro a bit before he comes down. Make yourself comfortable in the meantime. Do whatever you please, touch whatever you please. You even have my permission to raid the fridge, if you'd like."

"Uh… sure…" Frisk replied awkwardly.

With that said, Sans casually headed up the stairs towards the origin of the strange green smokes. There came a few seconds tapping footsteps, followed by a door opening and shutting.

"Hey Flowey," Frisk began. "What was up with that… old reindeer guy back there? Why were you scared of him?

"Oh, Dunder?" Flowey said. "I wasn't scared of him, per se. Dunder is… well to put it short, let's just say you can't let him see you. No matter what.

"W… why not?" Frisk asked nervously.

"Old man Dunder is pretty ancient," Flowey explained. "That's not an insult, by the way, he's actually pretty old."

"Ok…" Frisk said, sounding as if Flowey just spoke in an unknown language. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Because, due to his age," Flowey began. "He is… he's one of the few monsters down here who knows what a human actually looks like."

"Oh…" Frisk said. "Wow, he must be pretty old then."

"I think over a thousand years old, last I checked," Flowey said.

"Yeah, that's… pretty old," Frisk said. "I don't think I can even comprehend being that old. But wait. Why didn't you warn me about him beforehand? Before we reached town that is."

"Yeah that's kinda my fault," Flowey said. "Frankly, I assumed he died sometime during my years-long coma. But as it turns out the stubborn grandpa just refuses to die it seems. Plus, he lives outside of town, or he did, last time I saw him, and rarely ever came up here due to his age, except like once or twice a year. Really didn't expect him to be here the exact day we showed up."

"Hmm," Frisk replied. "Well, either way, thanks for the heads up."

"No problem," Flowey said.

Frisk now looked around the trashed place, tired and emotionally exhausted. She wasn't a fan of it but figured it was better than nothing, and so let herself fall on the green sofa and sighed tiredly. The sofa was surprisingly comfortable, and Frisk figured she could sleep easy in it, once all the dirty laundry and leftover food were removed from it.

"Now what?" she asked, no one in particular.

"Let's… go upstairs," Flowey suggested. "Let's spy on trashbag. See what's up."

"Really?" Frisk said. "Erm… ok then…"

"What?" Flowey asked.

"You're just usually so cautious about these things," Frisk said. "Has my dumb curiosity rubbed on you these past few hours or what?"

"Maybe," Flowey said. "I'm just… let's just say I'm kinda more curious about this particular thing."

"Well it's fine by me," Frisk said. "Erm… mostly fine, rather. I'm just nervous what that creepy skeleton guy will do if he notices us spying on him."

With that, she rose up from the sofa, which proved to be slightly difficult due to her weariness, and headed up the stairs, following the oozing green smoke that seemed to now lessen in its intensity.

"Still scared of him, eh?" Flowey asked his carrying companion.

"Yeah…" Frisk admitted. "I know it's illogical at this point but… I can't help it. He just creeps me out somehow."

"I'd say most fears are illogical," Flowey said.

"Mmhm," Frisk replied. "I guess I can see that."

At the end of the staircase was a small hallway with two doors. The strange green smoke that smelled of strong weed came from underneath the door right in front of the staircase. As Frisk approached it, what sounded like loud yelling came from behind the door, with the sounds of something or someone stumbling coming quickly afterwards. Frisk stood in front of it now, and curiously, she leaned her ear on the door.

" _-you're always lazing about and such, so why am I not allowed to do so as well and-_ " said an unfamiliar voice.

" _I've told you constantly this is different and_ -" said a voice who Frisk recognized as Sans'.

" _Oh, how is it different_?!" the other voice said angrily.

" _What do you- whatever. I've already argued with you today bro. We have guests over now and... I'm just asking you not to be junked up while they are here, ok? Just for one day, at the most._ "

" _Why not_?! _It's not like they'll notice it or anything_!"

" _I've already told you a lot of times…! Alright, fine. Just do what you want now I guess_ …"

"Strange," Flowey said, who had also leaned against the door. "Never heard them argue like that. Or at least, not where trashbag is the one telling his brother to get it together."

"I see…" Frisk replied. "Although, I kinda know what it's-"

Without realizing it, she, by pure accident, leaned too close to the door so that her elbow scraped down on the handle, and in just a moment, she and Flowey came stumbling into the room on the other side.

"Oh shit!" she exclaimed.

She stumbled down onto the floor which seemed to come rushing towards her face and hit her like a football. It happened so fast she barely had time to react before the pain came upon her face.

" _Aww fuck_ ," she muttered, face on the dirty floor.

"Are you alright?" Flowey asked.

"Yeah…" Frisk replied. "Just… hurt a bit."

"Who… what is that, Sans?" an said an unfamiliar male voice.

It was the same voice she heard talking to Sans.

Regaining her balance, Frisk looked up and saw one familiar, fat skeleton looking down at her. But then she saw that there was another skeleton beside him, looking down at her as well. One much taller and skinnier, and unlike his shorter counterpart, this one had the shape and body that she would expect to find inside an ordinary adult human.

That particular skeleton monster was barefoot, wearing nothing but a pair of red and black patterned pyjama pants that clearly hadn't been washed in days, and complete with a plain, light grey undershirt, that dangled loosely from his neck like it was oversized, clearly due to him being literally nothing but bones underneath. The only thing that seemed out of place for a human skeleton to have was his head, which seemed a bit too long for a human skull and to fit with this strange expansion, his two eyesockets were less like black holes and more like two vertical lines, or small crevices.

As Frisk looked at him, she saw that he also appeared much more emotive than Sans. It was strange to see a skeleton emote without muscles, but somehow, his skull shifted and bent like it was white skin. She could also tell from his strange expression that he looked at her with a mix of surprise and intrigue.

"What the…" Flowey said, looking around and sounding strangely befuddled.

Frisk groaned as she pushed herself up to her feet and dusted herself. Now, with a clearer head, she could take in her surroundings much easier.

When it came to cleanliness and fineness, the room was not that different than what she had seen so far from the rest of the house. There were layers of dust on almost every object and furniture Frisk could see, and the floor was covered in stains, food crumbs, and what seemed to be several old and smoked weed joints. The number of furnitures and objects were also pretty minuscule as well, with a large carpet with a fire pattern lay in the centre of the room, underneath yet another pile of dirty clothes, a dusty, messy car bed lay at a wall beside the door, and a very antique looking computer lay on the floor underneath the window. There was also a half-empty bookcase and an open wardrobe holding no clothes, except what looked like a set of white knight costume with a red cape that was thrown into a pile deep inside, as if they were memories of a lost dream the owner wanted nothing to do with. Lastly, besides the car bed, there was a single black trashcan, which was filled with a pile of papers, herbs and more of the same old weed joints.

"Erm… hi?" Frisk said to the tall skeleton and smiled awkwardly.

"Uh, Sans?" the large skeleton asked, staring at her with disbelief. "Is that a… human?"

"Uh…" Frisk said nervously.

"Sans, is that a human?" the skeleton asked again.

"Mmh," Sans answered. "That, Papyrus, is indeed a human."

Frisk, Flowey and the tall skeleton eyed each other with almost the same expression of confused emotions. Then suddenly, the tall skeleton's mouth stretched into a small smile, and following that, he laughed nervously. His body then began to rattle, and the room was filled with the sounds of a shaking ribcage while he took a few steps backwards, still with a smile on his face.

"My… gods," he said. "I can't believe it. A human? An actual human? In my room? In my house?"

"Well, kiddo," Sans said. "Frisk, this is my little bro, Papyrus."

Even though the tall skinny skeleton, Papyrus, stared at her while backing into a corner of the room like a frightened animal, he smiled, although a bit awkwardly like his mind was stuck between a place of pure happiness and terror.

"Ho-holy…" Papyrus muttered.

A strange but quiet rattling noise suddenly came from his mouth, and it took Frisk a moment to realize it was him attempting to suppress his nervous laughter.

"Papyrus?" Flowey said. "Wow. You've… certainly changed."

The tall skeleton stopped making his strange noise as he looked at the flower with a confused expression.

"Do I… know you?" Papyrus asked him.

"Really?" Flowey asked, sounding surprised and almost saddened. "You… you don't remember me? It's me. Flowey. Your, erm, your old best friend, remember? From a few years ago? Give or take. We used to chat a lot. Hang out a lot in fact."

Papyrus examined him clearer, and his eyesockets seemed to bend like he was squinting. Then, the sockets opened up again and he stared at him like he just got some sense of clarity.

"F-Flowey?" he asked, sounding very surprised. "By the… wowie! What is this… feeling?"

The tall skeleton could suppress no longer and gave out a burst of strange laughter. It was a laugh of joy and gleeful surprise, but simultaneously, it was a laughter of unease. Of fear, almost like he was terrified of his own reaction.

"Welp, I think we broke him," Flowey said snarkily.

"Erm, Sans, is this normal with him?" Frisk asked while she watched the strange event unfold.

"Not really," Sans said, watching his brother laugh maniacally. "This is new."

The tall skeleton kept laughing, louder and louder and his bones rattled with, and a strange watery fluid leaked out from his bones uncannily like sweat. Eventually, he attempted to calm down and placed one of his bony palms over his jaw.

"S-sorry, I…" he muttered before giving out another small burst of laughter. "G-god… Flowey it's so… it's so good to see you again."

"Yeah…" Flowey said, confused. "You too…"

"H-how you've been?" he said and smiled nervously.

"Well I just woke up from a coma and now I have a bunch of holes in my memories," Flowey said.

"Huh…" Papyrus said.

He then turned to look at the girl carrying him, and Frisk felt a tinge of uneasy hit her as the tall skeleton stared at her with black empty eye sockets.

"W-who are you?" he asked nervously, sounding almost like Frisk was gonna scream at him.

"Name's Francisca," Frisk said. "Just… just call me Frisk. Everyone does that."

"F-Frisk?" Papyrus nervously asked back. "W-well. It's… nice to meet you. I always wanted to see a human… but… but…"

The tall skeleton smile seemed to fade as he turned towards his older yet much shorter brother.

"S-Sans?" he asked. "W-why is there a h-human standing in our house?"

"What, you expect her to sit?" Sans joked.

"Heh, n-no, I…" Papyrus said and smiled awkwardly "It's just… it's illegal you know? I'm glad to see her, and I thank you for s-showing me her. But… it's not right to have a human in our home. S-she should leave. Get out of here before they… before they…"

"It's only illegal if they find out," Sans said. "Which no one has. So far that is."

"I mean… we could leave if it's too much of an issue," Frisk said. "Find some other monsters willing to help us."

"Oh, no, no," Sans said. "It's no big deal."

"I-isn't it?" Papyrus nervously asked.

"Yeah it's alright bro," Sans said. "We are the only two monsters in town who knows about her. Not even old man Dunder knows she's a human."

"Oh…" Papyrus said and smiled nervously again. "That's g-good, I have so much I want to ask her but… gods, I need another smoke. Sans, where did you-?"

"Hey, Pappy?" Sans said. "Why won't you go downstairs and… cook some lunch for us?"

The tall skeleton monster's smile went away once more.

"Do I… have to?" he asked grumpily.

"Didn't we just eat?" Frisk asked.

"We ate breakfast," Sans said. "It's time for lunch."

"That was breakfast?" Frisk asked. "Man, I've completely lost track of time down here."

"You and many others," Sans said as he turned back to his brother. "Pappy?"

"Ugh, fine," Papyrus said grumpily. "I'll go make some food, but… you'll be the one to make dinner tonight then."

His smaller but older brother gave out a simple shrug.

"Deal," he said.

With that, the taller skeleton gave a quick look to his two guests before lazily going out the door.

"You're just gonna go to buy a burger for dinner, aren't you?" Frisk asked Sans, once his brother was out of earshot.

"Of course," the short skeleton answered. "Just don't tell Pappy about it."

"Who… is that?" Flowey asked in disbelief.

"Sorry?" Sans replied.

"That skeleton," Flowey added. "That's… that's not Papyrus. Papyrus would never be so lazy he'll refuse to cook, or hell, be a lazy bum like you in general."

"A lot of things have happened in the time you were gone," Sans said. "That old Papyrus you knew, well… he's changed."

"But… how?" Flowey asked. "What happened to him."

A look of unease fell upon the grinning skeleton, and he gave out a small sigh.

"That's a long, confusing story," Sans said. "I'll tell you about it during lunch."

A cloud of almost completely white smoke emerged from the kitchen, while Frisk, Flowey and Sans were sitting by the round dining table just in front of it. The tall skeleton was lazily stirring something in a pan with a spatula while lazily staring down at whatever he was cooking.

"Ok, you promised," Flowey said. "Now tell us, what in the world happened to him?"

"As I said, it's a long story," Sans began. "But since none of us are going anywhere the next few minutes, I might as well give you the abridged version."

He inhaled a small bit of air, which Frisk found strange to see a skeleton do, and then leaned a bit back in his chair.

"A few years ago," he began. "There was this… let's call it an event. I'm sure you remember how adventurous he used to be, flower. Back in the days when you "befriended" him."

"I wasn't that bad to him," Flowey said and rolled his eyes.

"Uh-huh," Sans simply said.

"But I do remember those days," Flowey added. "I remember the old Papyrus, fortunately, and yeah. He was… cheerful. Organized even, and with full of energy."

"I find it hard to imagine this guy being like that," Frisk said. "Erm, no offence."

"None taken," Sans said. "He was was pretty much a different person back then. Kinda the polar opposite of me in fact."

"Well, what happened to him then?" Frisk asked.

Sans didn't answer right away, but Frisk could see that he looked like his mind was wracked with thoughts on how to proceed.

"So like I said, there was this event taking place," the skeleton continued. "Some journey or expedition to someplace. Can't remember where though. But my bro, always the confident type, was obviously excited for it, for a chance for a proper adventure. And since you had disappeared, flower boy, my bro didn't really have that many friends. Thankfully, or at least what we thought was thankful, he managed to get himself… invited to this expedition."

"Was The Royal Hunt involved?" Flowey suddenly asked.

"I can't tell you that," Sans said.

"So they were," Frisk added. "Got it."

"Believe what you believe," Sans added. "So, long story short, this expedition was supposed to last about a weekend I think. If you could make it through those days, well, then you've won. Pappy and I were more than sure he could make it. Hell, maybe he'd even come on the absolute top. So when the day came, he put on his so-called "battle suit", which was his nickname for a personal knight costume he doesn't really remember the reason for making, and went with clear confidence of victory, and that this event would finally make him famous, as he always dreamed to be."

Sans took a short pause as if he was reflecting on something. Frisk took this moment to do so as well and was suddenly reminded of the pile of armour she saw thrown away into Papyrus' closet.

"And?" Flowey asked impatiently.

"My bro lasted only a few hours," Sans said. "The first night, he came home. I didn't recognize him at first. He was so… broken. Terrified even, as if his spirit had completely shattered somehow. Suffice to say, I had never seen him like this before."

"W-what happened to him?" Frisk asked nervously.

Sans shrugged.

"He never told me," Sans explained. "Just that it was something bad, to put it mildly. He had nightmares for weeks- no, months after that day. He barely left the house anymore, just stayed on his computer all day and night, and eventually, he even stopped caring about things like heroism or fame. The things he usually loved and kept him going. Said it all was just pointless. That everything was."

"So he became you?" Flowey asked snarkily.

"Heh, something like that," Sans replied. "But then one day, he found a way to get Baron's breath online. No idea how he found out about it, but I have some ideas. Most of them involving the internet. Oh, and I forgot to mention. Baron's breath is this new herbal drug that's been around here a few years."

"Yeah, I figured," Frisk said.

"It popped up not long after you went, Flowey," Sans continued. "At times, I even thought your disappearance was somehow related to the birth of that weed."

"I don't… I'm not sure weed is that addicting," Frisk said.

"Hmm?" Sans asked.

"Ok, I'm not an expert," Frisk continued. "Plus, I've never tried it but… well, from what I've heard, weed is kinda like alcohol. Yeah, it's bad but, not when it's like… regulated, if you understand me. I don't know. Maybe I'm not as knowledgable on this as I thought. At least your brother's not addicted to nicotine or, god forbid, meth or something."

"Well, I kinda see what you mean," Sans said. "A few problems though. My brother was… is a panicky mess, and he's easily addicted to things so he pretty much did, or does rather nothing but smoke it all day, every day. That's why most of the stuff in this house basically smells like that. Also, Baron's breath isn't like ordinary weed."

"In what way?" Frisk asked.

"It's… well, it has a bit of magic involved," Sans explained.

"Erm, do you mean literally or… like, metaphorically?" Frisk asked.

"A bit of both, I'd say," Sans said. "For one, it is made out of some magically mutated plants, or at least that's what I've read, and since magic is pretty much unstable and unpredictable by nature… well, add that with some already addicting substances and you have a ticking mental timebomb which we barely know the ramifications of, much less what it can do to your mind, which… I'm starting to feel that it's only making things worse for Papyrus in the long run."

"I see," Frisk said. "Erm, sorry about what I said I… I'm not sure if it was insensitive or not."

"Eh, no probs kiddo," Sans said and winked.

"Welp, the food is done!" Papyrus yelled lazily from the kitchen.

With that, the tall skeleton wandered into the kitchen, scratching his bum with one hand but holding in his other, oven mittened hand a plate of what seemed to resemble spaghetti. The taller brother then lazily placed the plate onto the dinner table and quickly sat down, looking like he was exhausted from such a relatively small task.

As Frisk expected, unfortunately, the pile of spaghetti being served looked very hastily made and dry, with a sickly green hue on its strands, some of which seemed barely cooked. There was also nothing else with it, no sauce, oil or even any hint of spice. The best thing Frisk could say about it that it at least looked like food, although a pretty undesirable one.

"Erm, what is that?" Flowey rudely asked.

"It's spaghetti," Papyrus said. "Since I got so little to do, I memorized a recipe online, but we were lacking some ingredients and I also made a few shortcuts here and there. Why? Does it not look good?"

"Oh, no- I mean yes," Frisk said awkwardly. "I mean it looks… delicious?"

"Really?" Flowey asked. "Because it looks like a diseased octopus."

"Don't knock it till you try it," Sans said.

With that said, he picked up his fork and scooped up a large pile of spaghetti onto his dish before cramming some of it in his mouth. He grimaced for a moment but kept chewing, clearly forcing it in.

"You're not eating kiddos?" he asked, mouth full of spaghetti.

"I'm not hungry," Frisk said.

"Yeah, we just ate, didn't we?" Flowey replied.

"Eh, your loss," Sans said. "More for us then."

He forced another mouthful up his mouth, and as Frisk watched, she began to wonder how he, a skeleton with no clear internal organs, was able to digest food in the first place, and half expected a pile of half-chewed spaghetti to start leaking down from under his clothes.

"Where does all it come from though?" Flowey asked. "The drugs I mean. Someone must be making it down here. Or at least profiting from it."

"Well," Sans began and swallowed the food in his mouth. "There is… one person that sells and makes pretty much all of the drugs down here. Thing is, no one knows who they are, or their name. But they have a nickname down here, so that helps."

"And that name is?" Frisk asked.

Sans chuckled suddenly and slowly shook his head with amusement.

"What?" Frisk asked, confused.

"Ok, kiddos," he began. "Are you ready for this? Because I don't think you're ready. The guy that makes most of the Baron's breath… they call him the… they call him _The Kushmaster_."

Frisk snorted in amusement from hearing that.

"Ok, but seriously, what is he actually called?" she then asked him.

"I just told you, kiddo," Sans said.

"Wait, really?" Frisk said.

She stared at the skeleton's constant grin, looking for any slip-up, anything that could hint at some deep layers of irony in his words. But she failed to find it, and as a result, she almost burst into laughter.

"Seriously?!" she asked in disbelief and amusement. "Kushmaster? That is like the dumbest name for a drug lord I've ever heard."

"Look, I didn't come up with that name, kiddo," Sans said, agreeing with her.

"W-what's wrong it?" Papyrus asked, confused.

"What's next?" Frisk asked cheekily. "Weed lord? Marijuana man?"

"No seriously, how is it bad?" Papyrus asked again.

"Maybe he has a cousin who owns a spy agency and is called _The Hushmaster_ ," Sans said.

Frisk snickered again.

"God, that was really stupid," she said.

"I know," Sans said.

"Wow, you actually laughed at that?" Flowey said to her.

"I know, I know," Frisk said, smiling. "I have a shit sense of humour sometimes."

"Geez, kiddo, anyone ever told you to watch your language?" Sans said cheekily.

"Oh come on," Frisk replied. "I'm 16 and a half years old. I'm pretty much legally allowed to swear."

"Hmm, fair point," Sans replied.

"Wait, you're 16?" Papyrus replied. "Wowie, how convenient. I'm around 16 as well. I think?"

"You're 16?" Frisk asked back, surprised. "Huh that… that actually explains some things."

"Like what?" Papyrus asked.

"Umm I… I don't know," Frisk said. "I might just be… saying nonsense right now. I do that sometimes. When I'm tired."

A moment of silence came upon the group as they all sat, thinking about one thing or another. For a while, the only sound in the vicinity was the clicking of Sans' and Papyrus' fork against the spaghetti covered plate.

"Welp, I think I am finally going to go to bed," Frisk said after a moment.

"Erm… isn't it just noon?" Papyrus asked.

"I didn't… I didn't sleep at all last night," Frisk said.

"Me neither," Flowey said. "In fact, I think I haven't slept in years. So to speak."

"You don't need an excuse if you ask me," Sans said. "I pretty much sleep all day, every other day."

"Then I'll… I think I will take a rest too," Papyrus added. "I didn't really get much sleep last night either."

"I noticed," Sans said. "Been spending once again too much time on the computer last night I reckon?"

Papyrus suddenly looked at him with an annoyed glint on his skull face, almost like he was insulted by what his brother said.

"Why?!" he asked, almost sounding angry. "Am I not allowed to do that either?!"

"Sorry, it was a joke, I… I didn't mean to insult you, bro," Sans said.

"Oh did you now?!" Papyrus said, louder. "Well, in that case, _bro_ , that means you should at least have some resemblance of empathy somewhere in that braindead skull of yours and recognize that I can only go rest when I'm happy! You should know that if you are gonna take away my herbs and smokes, that the only thing left that would keep me busy then is the internet, so I will not let you take that from he as well!"

"P-Pappy, calm down I-" Sans began.

"Oh, I'm not gonna calm down!" Papyrus protested. "And I'm not even done! Wanna know why I'm insulted?! Because you act like you're above me while you're the one who's lived for years, boondoggling! You lived this sorry excuse of a lifestyle your whole adulthood, and if you take away my computer, you also take away the last thing that keeps me busy!"

"I'm not gonna take-" Sans attempted to say.

"And if you take away what keeps me busy and happy!" Papyrus continued. "Then… then… ok, you know what?! Fine! Take if you want! Take my herbs! Take my computer! Take away my gods dammed life if you want! I don't care anymore since you clearly don't care about me! In fact, no one does! I even went through the trouble of making you all dinner but you ingrates can't even appreciate that!"

"N-no, it's good, your cooking is great!" Frisk said.

"You haven't even tasted it yet," Papyrus said to her sternly.

"Well… it's the thought that counts right?" Flowey said.

"Says you," Papyrus said grumpily. "You who abandoned me many years ago for no reason, and were gone when I needed you the most, my "best friend". Where was the thought then eh? Where was it?"

Papyrus then shut his mouth and grumpily crossed his arms.

"Whatever," he said. "I'm going to my room now. I'm tired."

With that, he stood up from his chair and stomped angrily up the steps to his room. After he shut the door, there came a peaceful quietness to the rest of the house. Not one of the trio did anything. Just sat by the table, still like time itself had stopped.

"Jesus," Frisk said after a moment.

"Well now," Flowey said. "Never seen him get that bad."

"Yeah, he does that sometimes," Sans said. "Gets real cranky after he hasn't had one of his smokes for a while."

"Yeah…" Frisk said. "I get it. I get it."

About a half an hour later, Frisk and Flowey, reluctantly, went to rest in Papyrus' room. Sans had strangely enough refused to let them sleep in his room, and once Frisk suggested the couch, he also didn't recommend the living room on the account that some insects that had apparently taken a nest in one or two hidden places. But he assured the duo that Papyrus was most likely asleep at this point, and as it turned out, he was right. They all peeked quietly into his room and saw him, deep in sleep, in his car bed, with his eyesockets shut tight like eyelids.

Sans had then helped her with an old dusty sleeping bag he owned and an old flower pot for Flowey. Once they quietly found a good spot, Frisk gave her thanks to the skeleton before he closed the door on them. Once Flowey had adjusted himself in his pot, she lay down on the sleeping bag to finally end her quest for a nap. Or at least, she attempted to, for almost an hour later, Frisk was still awake. Strangely enough, she couldn't sleep, now that she was finally there. For the most part, she just stared up at the white, cracked ceiling, while her companion was presumably long fallen asleep in his flower pot at the corner.

While she silently stared at the ceiling, Frisk began to think once again. To ponder on this day she just had. All of this still felt unreal. Everything did, from the tall skeleton brother who snored softly on his car bed, and even the simple breeze that came from a small crack in the window. She wasn't sure she would even fully grasp this world, not for a very long time.

After a while, she turned to look at the tall, snoring skeleton monster. Besides his calm breathing, he was almost unmistakable from a corpse. Not only that, but he now looked like a completely different monster, with not a single hint of his previous anxiety or depression. He even seemed to smile a bit in his sleep, like he was once the happiest and most optimistic skeleton in the underground. A speck from his cheerful past, much like the pile of discarded armour in his closet, that only surfaced once he was in peace and slumber.

Or maybe she is overthinking this, Frisk thought. But then again, Flowey did say that he used to be different. What could've happened then, Frisk wondered. What was this _event_ that changed him so much? And what was he like, once upon a time? Those questions added more questions, and those questions kept her awake even longer.

Eventually, these bothersome thoughts became hard to ignore, and so Frisk turned around to ask her companion about them. Assuming he was awake like her that is.

" _Hey, Flo-_ " she whispered.

She stopped in her word once she saw it. The pot was empty, and once she turned to her open pink bag, it was empty as well, like something or someone had conjured her companion away. Frisk felt a tinge of fear grab her chest and grow within her, as it dawned on her she was alone in this unfamiliar world.

" _Flowey_?" she whispered nervously.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a familiar voice nearby in the room grunting. She turned towards it, and once she saw him, her worries quickly faded. Her companion was crawling on the floor with his many vines, like a small octopus learning to walk.

"Gah… finally," Flowey said. "Hey Frisk, look. I can walk again. Or, erm, crawl rather."

"Jesus," Frisk said. "Scared me there for a minute, Flowey."

"Aww, you missed me already?" Flowey asked cheekily.

"Oh, shut up," Frisk said and smiled.

"Ungh, well… it's still not perfect," Flowey said. "Still hurts a bit. Feels like I'm stretching my insides a bit. Gods. Is this what having bones is like? Kinda miss what's that's- er… sorry. I meant I kinda _wish_ I knew what it was like."

Frisk snorted a bit then turned to look at the ceiling again.

"You're not missing much," she said to him.

"Noticed you're not asleep," Flowey said and stopped right beside her. "Is there… something wrong or…?"

"I can't sleep," Frisk admitted.

"Really?" Flowey replied, sounding like Frisk just grew a second head. "Weren't you going on about these past few hours just how tired you were?"

"It's… not that," Frisk answered.

"Hmm," Flowey replied. "Alright, I see. Scared about having another nightmare again, aren't you?"

"No, I mean-" Frisk began.

She stopped herself mid-sentence as she realized she had no idea why she would want to hide it from him. Was she scared? Of what? To embarrass herself? In that case, what was there to be embarrassed about.

"Alright, yeah, I am," she admitted to him. "I know it's weird but…"

"Nah it's fine," Flowey said. "I mean, I told you that I think most fears are illogical. Doesn't mean don't get it. I mean, it's not like I'm not scared of anything myself. Everyone is."

"Hmm," Frisk said. "So.. what are you scared of."

Flowey went silent for a few moments.

"Sorry," Frisk said. "Shouldn't have asked."

"Oh, no it's fine," Flowey said. "I'm scared of many things. Some logical things, like death or danger, and some… not so logical things you could say."

"Like what?" Frisk asked curiously.

"It's… silly," Flowey said.

"I'll try not to laugh," Frisk reassured.

"Well…" Flowey said with a sense of embarrassment. "Erm, for example… I'm scared of… c-clowns."

"Clowns?" Frisk said back and chuckled lightly.

"Hey you promised not to laugh," Flowey said, mildly insulted.

"I said I'd try not to I… sorry," Frisk said, unable to stop her smile. "I'm sorry. I'm kinda shit at keeping promises."

"Uh-huh," Flowey replied.

"It's fine though," Frisk added. "Lot's of people are scared of clowns. I don't think that makes you any… lesser, if that makes sense."

"Hmm," Flowey said. "Honestly I'm… not that insulted. In fact, I kinda expected this reaction from you, to be honest."

"Oh, am I that much of an ass?" Frisk cheekily asked.

"Heh, kinda," Flowey answered cheekily with a smile. "But your turn now. What are you scared of? Besides the obvious that is."

"Hmm," Frisk said, thinking. "Well… I think spiders a kinda creepy in a way. Not in a big way, mind you, but enough that I sometimes feel uncomfortable when I'm around them."

"Well, that ain't that silly if you'd ask me," Flowey said. "Spiders can get pretty weird down here."

"God, don't tell me," Frisk said. "But then there is also that Mickey guy, whom… I haven't met yet but… you heard the story. Why wouldn't I be scared of that?"

"Ehh, no surprises there," Flowey said.

"Do you think it's true?" Frisk asked him. "The story that the old bird said. I mean, Sans seemed pretty fazed by it. And he clearly knows something about Mickey. More than we at least."

"I… I don't know," Flowey said. "Let's just… let's just worry about that later."

"Yeah, maybe," Frisk said.

"So is that all your fears?" Flowey asked.

"Hmm, no," Frisk answered. "There is more, obviously. Not sure which of it scares me the most though. But… if I had to pick something, then I guess it would be… it would be…"

She stopped in her words and stared at the ceiling, unable to think properly anymore. It was like countless ideas flew in her head, yet she was unable to grasp a single one.

"It would be what?" Flowey pried.

Frisk, unable to think of a satisfying answer, just shrugged and said the first thing that popped up in her head.

"Just… everything I guess," she said.

"Everything as in… literally everything?" Flowey pried.

"Everything as in… I… I'm not sure," Frisk said. "I think it was just a poor choice of words on my part. But… I guess what I'm saying is that… what I'm most scared of… are just the things I don't understand, which I realized now could be… everything."

"Like Gaster?" Flowey asked.

"Erm, yeah, maybe," Frisk said. "Like Gaster, I guess. But… I don't think it's just him though, whoever, or whatever, he is. I think, or at least my fears from my dream of him might just be a… symptom. A part of something bigger I'm much more scared to face. Like the idea that… despite everything… I know nothing. I never will. And every time I think I've figured it out, life throws a wrench at me and it's like the whole of reality comes crumbling down. Suddenly, I have to quickly adapt to these new changes, these new things that shouldn't make sense but… now they do. And if I don't adapt I… I may just… lose my mind. Or something like that. I don't know. I guess I'm just… rambling now."

"Hmm," Flowey said, in thought.

Another silence came between them. This one felt more reminiscent of the silence that often occurred back at the bar. A silence of unease and discomfort, which Frisk felt herself to blame for, this time. Mostly, she just said the first thoughts that came to her head, even if they perhaps weren't correct her thoughts, so to speak. She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything anymore. After a while of this silence, her companion was the first to break it.

"Well now," he said. "That was… therapeutic. I think."

"Sorry about that," Frisk said. "I kinda went into a bit of a tangent there."

"You shouldn't be," Flowey said. "It was a nice talk. But also, you really don't need to apologize so often. No offence."

"Oh, sorry I- god," Frisk said. "Man, now that you mention it. I guess I do have a habit of-"

There came a loud sound of glass breaking outside, and Frisk quickly rose up in shock.

" _What was that_?" she whispered.

"I dunno," Flowey said. "Hopefully just some mishaps outside."

Frisk turned to look at the window from her point as if she could see from her distance what it was. Then, there came another crash followed by the sounds of some panicked townsfolk. Papyrus now rustled uneasily in his bed.

"Mm, what's… going on," he said, half-asleep.

"I'm gonna go take a look," Flowey said.

He crawled with his vines towards the window, and then once he was under it, he extended his vines upwards and pulled himself up onto the windowsill.

"What do you see?" Frisk asked nervously. "What is happening out there?"

"This is… weird," Flowey said, looking out with his eyes crossed. "It seems like everyone is in a hurry for some reason, or like they're… trying to hide from something."

"Like… what?" Frisk asked.

Before Flowey could answer, the door to the room burst open, which made Frisk almost jump out from her makeshift bed. Thankfully, once her momentary shock faded, she saw that it was just Sans who came rushing in.

"Hey kiddos," he said with a subtle tone of emergency. "Erm… bad news. I need to move you, kids, to someplace else for the time being. Somewhere more hidden."

"W-why?" Frisk asked. "What's going on out there."

"We just got a late message from the capital," Sans explained. "And by we, I mean us Snowdin folk. It's Mickey. And The Royal Hunt. They are on their way here, to Snowdin. And they're about to arrive in just a few minutes."

* * *

Author's note:

Poor Papyrus, how the mighty fall.

Anyway, so I mentioned in my last notes that I was planning to finish and release this chapter before the end of April, but then I hit a wall of sorts before I could finish. Well, that wall is called Papyrus. As you can see, he has certainly changed from his UT Prime counterpart(despite this AU being very similar to that), and a big part of that is due to what happened in the old prequel story I wrote some time ago, "A hunt to Remember", which is also about this "event" that Sans mentioned. The one that changed him, and not for the better, if you'd ask me(and if you are gonna go type in the comments:"b-but Sans said that Papyrus never told him what happened, even though he clearly did in the prequel story, this continuity error makes this fic oBJectIVLy bad" To that I say to you, my handsome strawman I clearly didn't just make up in my head: "I know." Sans is just lying to Frisk and Flowey here) But like I said, I am probably going to do a soft reboot of that prequel story sometime in the future, because to be honest, I am not that big fan of it anymore and it doesn't vibe as well with the rest of the AU.

Anyway, trying to handle Papyrus' PTSD from that "event" proved to be quite a challenge, and I really tried to portray it in the best possible way. I even went online to look it up, where I learned that most people don't suffer PTSD the same way, so... yeah. I just really hope I did it justice.

The next chapter, as you can tell, will be a bit more exciting with even more mysteries to follow. I will also be introducing several new characters, some more or less important than others, and most of these characters will be brand new, with no relation or appearance in UT Prime. But it might be a while before that chapter, so enough chatter and I'll see you soon. Hopefully.


	22. Snowdin Part 6

**Snowdin Part 6**

All the terror and thoughts Frisk had of the frightening tale came rushing back over her. Even while she hurriedly stood up and picked up her backpack, with Flowey jumping into it almost as urgently as Frisk moved, she couldn't even comprehend it herself, like she was moving through the motions of life, not knowing why because it was too overwhelming, too unreal to fully grasp. Papyrus rose up quickly as well, having also heard the news, but as soon as he left his bed he proceeded to fall on the floor, breathing heavily as if he was having a heart attack. His bones began to sweat, and he stared at the ceiling with his hand on his chest and eyesockets wide open in fear.

Sans, without any hesitation, ran to his now frightened brother and sat down by him.

"Breath in bro," he said. "Just breath in."

"He's coming!" Papyrus cried out. "Oh, gods. Mickey's coming back for me!"

"Mickey's not coming back for you bro," Sans said.

"How do you know?!" Papyrus quickly asked.

"I… I don't think he even remembers you, bro," Sans said. "And even if he was, he's not gonna hurt you. So just breathe in… and out. Not so hard is it? You can do it. You're brave like a hero remember? A great hero that-"

"Hero?" Papyrus said and looked at his brother, exasperated. "I'm no hero brother. Mickey's a hero, and he's… and he's-"

He stopped in his own words as he suddenly began exhaling as if out of breath. For a moment, it seemed he was about to faint.

"Sorry, Pappy," Sans said. "Bad choice of words. But you're still brave. Big and strong. Just… just breathe in and breathe out. You can do it. I know it. Just like we practised ok? "

His brother proceeded to attempt to do just that, and for a moment, he seemed to calm down. But only slightly.

"I'm… big," Papyrus muttered admits his panting. "And I'm… brave…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt but what about us?!" Flowey asked urgently.

Sans looked back at Flowey and his carrier Frisk, who stood in the middle of the room, frozen, not knowing what to do.

Sans turned back to his brother who stared at him with a face of pure terror. Then Sans sighed before he stood up and walked towards Frisk and Flowey.

"W-wait!" Papyrus cried after him.

Without moving the rest of his body of the floor, he raised one hand to reach towards his older brother while his expression looked pleading and tearful.

"Sans?" he said. "Brother? Please… please don't leave me. I need you. Please, I need to have you right now."

"I'm just gonna be gone for a few moments," Sans said. "I'm sorry but… I need to help these kids. I'll be back before you know it."

Papyrus looked at them still, his eye sockets suddenly watering. Then he closed them and nodded with understanding as small shiny tears began to run down his bony cheeks.

Frisk felt the small, cold skeletal hand of Sans grab her wrist as he looked up at her with a reassuring grin on his face.

"Where are we-?" Frisk began to ask.

Before she could finish her question, she found herself suddenly standing in another strange room after what felt like a mere blink.

"...going?" she finished.

This new room, at first glance, seemed completely disconnected from Sans' residence, making Frisk wonder if he had taken them to a different place.

The room appeared to be a basement of sorts, not only due to the aforementioned window, but also due to colourless cement walls, smells of dust and musk, and the heavy air that felt like something was pushing them down. It was also a bit narrow and with a low ceiling, but not too much so that Frisk didn't need to crouch or bend herself into odd angles. The only sources of light came from a small but wide basement window on a wall and a single working ceiling light above amidst several broken ones.

The only things of note in the room were what looked like some strange, broken device in the corner and a dusty workbench that had clearly been long unused, holding a single photo frame.

"Wait a minute," Flowey said. "Trashbag, Is this your workshop."

"Yep," Sans answered. "My secret workshop under the house. How do you know about it though? Did Pappy tell you?"

"Erm… sure," Flowey answered awkwardly. "Let's say he did that."

"Uh-huh," Sans replied.

"So what do we do now?" Frisk asked. "Do we just wait or…"

"Well unless you want to pretty much give yourself to a bunch of human-hating maniacs, then yeah," Sans said.

"Alright," Frisk said with nervousness. "But… are you sure they won't find it?"

"Of course they won't," Sans said. "It's my secret room, which in dictionary terms, means not a lot of people know about it. Also, I have the only key to it right here."

Sans reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, silver key, which he proceeded to dangle a bit in the air.

"Alright, I'm off now," Sans then said. "My brother awaits me, and I need to look inconspicuous for Mickey and his pals. Just don't break anything, even if there is practically nothing to break."

"How long do we need to stay?" Flowey asked.

"Eh…" Sans said and shrugged. "I dunno. I'll just come and get you when it's perfectly safe."

"Well… thanks," Frisk said.

"Don't mention it kiddo," Sans said.

With that, he vanished in front of the duo's eyes, with barely even a sound to accompany him.

"Jesus," Frisk said, mildly spooked.

"Well, perfect," Flowey blurted out.

Frisk looked around the room once more and sighed tiredly.

"Now what?" Frisk said.

"No clue," Flowey said and sighed tiredly as well.

Frisk looked at a small wooden door in the corner, one that presumably led out of this room, and wondered if something that looked so frail would truly manage to keep them safe. She then, almost instinctively, brushed her finger across the small reddish knife in her pocket. Would it be enough to protect them against whatever horrors were arriving? And now that the knife was on her mind, did anyone else see it? Did Sans or his brother see it? If they did, then why never mention it?

But Frisk decided not to think much of that right now and instead went to the photo frame on the table, the only object around that interested her, and picked it up with curiosity. Up close, she could see it more properly, and it held a strange yet warmhearted picture. It was a photo showing three skeletal figures, smiling towards the camera. Two of them, she recognizes as being the two skeleton brothers above, just younger, looking more like kids and dressed in striped shirts. But there was also a third skeleton, one Frisk couldn't recognize. It was much taller than the other two and sat in the middle of them. It wore a white scientist coat and had a masculine build like the other two. He also smiled gleefully alongside the other two.

"Who is that?" Fris asked Flowey. "The one in the centre."

"You don't recognize him?" Flowey asked curiously. "That's Gaster."

"What?!" Frisk exclaimed.

She looked at the photo again, at the smiling tall skeleton in the scientist coat. She couldn't grasp what Flowey said. She couldn't connect it, this smiling family man to her nightmares.

"Oh, you're joking," Frisk said and smiled awkwardly. "God, I almost fell for it."

"I'm serious," Flowey said. "This is Gaster. The Royal Scientist."

There was no hint of irony in his voice. Yet, Frisk almost refused to believe.

"That's… that's not Gaster," she said, nervous and confused. "Not the one I dreamt of."

"Well, that's possible," Flowey said.

"Huh?" Frisk replied, confused.

"This is him before the… accident," Flowey explained. "Before he changed permanently. Personality-wise and otherwise."

"Oh," Frisk said.

She looked down at the photo now, and it now filled her with a bit of a mournful feeling instead. Looking closer at the figure in the centre, she could now piece together how he resembled the Gaster from her dreams, like someone comparing a person face before and after a terrible facial scar.

"No wonder I didn't recognize him," Frisk said. "God. He looks so different. So…, well, human, for lack of a better word."

"Don't worry, I get it," Flowey said. "Sad isn't it."

"What in the world happened to him?" Frisk asked.

"Eh, I don't remember the exact details," Flowey said. "Just that it was some accident at his lab, involving one of his creations. I've never seen it, on the account of me not being, erm, born yet, so the things I do know I've only read about."

"Huh," Frisk said. "I see."

She placed the photo back onto the desk. Then, she looked around the basement once more and noticed that the small basement window was just about her height. That was when she, once more, felt her usual dangerous urge. Her obsessive pull of morbid curiosity, and so she walked towards it, feeling a sense of dread yet curious anticipation.

"Frisk, where are you-?" Flowey began.

"Think we can glance at The Hunt arriving from here?" Frisk asked him. "From this window?"

"Hmm," Flowey said, thinking. "Well… maybe? Assuming they're coming from that direction."

"Yeah, I'm thinking that as well," Frisk said. "What do you think? Should we…?"

"Well there is no harm in checking," Flowey said. "Not like they can see us clearly from here anyway."

"Cool," Frisk said

Frisk brushed off some of the wet wintery haze from the window and pressed her face upon it, with her palm placed in between so it wouldn't touch the wet glass. Her companion, now with some better mobility, then expanded his vine holding his head so that it was beside hers.

All Frisk could see from the narrow window was a field of snow with the occasional broken down shack placed neatly here. But besides that, there was nothing. Nothing that resembled a living person or creature.

"See anything?" Flowey asked. "Because I can barely see crap from here."

"Nada," Frisk replied. "Just snow, shacks and some trees. Maybe they are not coming from this-"

"Wait," Flowey suddenly said. "I… I think I see something. In the distance."

Frisk leaned in a bit closer, feeling her morbid curiosity grow alongside her unease. It was hard to see at first, but far in the distance, she could just glance at some strange shadows. At first, she assumed these were simply just trees. But then after a few seconds, they seemed to be growing slowly, but surely taller. Then a while after that, they seemed to multiply. It was at that point that Frisk realized these weren't still shadows, and they weren't expanding or multiplying. She felt a tinge of shock as the revelation dawned, and once the shadows began to take the forms of silhouetted humanoids.

"I think that's them," Frisk said.

"Oh, gods!" Flowey suddenly exclaimed with horror.

Frisk turned her companion. A great aura of terror seemed to have fallen upon his face as he stared at the approaching shadows. His expression appeared to be in pure disbelief of his own fears, of his own senses, and what seemed like sweat began to run down his stem and leaves. In just this one day she had known him, this was the most frightened Frisk had ever seen him.

"Flowey?" Frisk asked him nervously. "What is it."

"I… I think see now…" Flowey muttered without looking away.

"See what?" Frisk asked, confused. "The shadows?

"No," Flowey answered. "What I mean is… I understand now why I lost them. My memories. I think that- no, I _hope_ rather, that is was simply my mind being merciful. I have witnessed so much horror in my countless resets, done so many wicked things that I may have yet to undo. Yet this… my mind could not hold this. It could not hold such scale of… of cruelty. So it took it away. Poked holes in mind and-"

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Frisk asked. "You're kinda freaking me out right now."

Flowey turned up to look at her, still with the expression of pure terror.

"I remember them now," Flowey answered. "I remember The Royal Hunt. And Mickey. I remember far, far too much."

The wind blew quietly across the town, but there were no other sounds to drown it out. Not one monster walked in the streets, not one was outside their doors, despite being the middle of the day and the perfect time to go out. Doors were locked, windows shut on houses where children lay inside, huddled in fear with their terrified parents or guardians. The homeless monsters in the shelters waited anxiously with roars of frightened wails and cries while the caretakers tried to hold them together, and the griefing owner was drinking herself to sleep. Grillby's stood nervously behind the counter of his bar, holding the warm green hand of his frightened daughter, Fuku, who realized too late she came to visit her father in town at a terrible time. There were no patrons at the bar, except for the one elderly bird monster who drank heavily with no care in the world. The library nearby was silent as well, except for the sounds of a chair being placed and a noose being tied.

The distant silhouettes seemed to have stopped just outside of town, yet they were now close enough to see that they were multiple figures of varying shapes and sizes. After a moment, a single lone figure emerged from this group of shadowy figures. Those who lived at the further edges of town could see him clearly compared to the others and many of them who did got a large sense of fright as they recognized who this lone figure was. He had a muscular frame that was covered in armour made of dark coloured metal that seemed moulded from pure obsidian, and the Deltarune symbol was carved on the chestplate with red ink. Dark-furred boots and gloves he wore as well, with a hood of ink black, and a black metal mask showing a faceless human expression, giving away nothing except for the bright blue eyes in the eyeholes. Yet, despite his look of animosity, everyone who had heard of him could immediately guess who this figure was, even if you couldn't tell from the hairy tentacles sneaking from under the hood, which seemed to awfully resemble dreadlocks.

Even Frisk watching from a limited view in the narrow window of the basement and who had never seen him before this very moment could tell instantly who this figure was. From the stories she heard along with her frightening imaginings, there was only one person she could guess who this was. One name, that echoed in her mind.

 _Mickey_ , she thought.

The figure she figured to be Mickey, looked across the empty town. After that, he pulled a small object from a small black pouch hanging on his belt. It was a small white cigar, similar to the ones Frisk saw strewn all around in Papyrus' room. The figure then conjured up a small flame on his finger which he used to light his cigar, which then spewed out a large green smoke.

But then, the figure did something unusual. Something that seemed incredibly unfitting at this moment. Just after the figure shook his lit hand, extinguishing the small flame, he then pulled another thing from his pouch, something much more unexpected. It took Frisk a moment to realize what it was, not because it was hard to see, but because at first, she assumed she was simply mistaken.

What the figure pulled out was a small holographic music player, the same type she had often seen in electronic stores on the surface. The figure then seemed to scroll through it with a single hand, before then pressing something on it with his armoured thumb.

The figure looked back up, puffing a cloud of smoke, and a moment later, distant echos of music seemed to reverberate inside his metallic mask. The music she didn't wholly recognize, except that it sounded like a strange mixture of death metal and electronic. Following that, like a bizarre mockery of the current mood of eerie seriousness, the figure quickly proceeded to remove his hood, and the long brown dreadlock looking hair tentacles flew into the wind. The figure, who Frisk wasn't certain was Mickey anymore, then placed the holographic device back into his hip pouch, while subtly headbanging to whatever he was listening to, as the cold eyes of his mask stared emotionlessly. Frisk felt immensely confused by this strange contrast. His cold, expressionless mask on top of the rest of his body that seemed to almost dance in some subtle rhythm, completely encapsulated this sense of conflicting emotions.

Frisk didn't know what to think of this figure. While he had the look and physique of the dark warrior she had imagined him from the stories, this strange almost comedic contrast with his casual weed smoking and the subtle headbang to electronic rock, made him look more like a member of some nordic death metal band, complete with the flowing of his long, braid-like tentacle hair.

"That's him?" Frisk asked, almost in disbelief.

"Ay," Flowey simply answered, still staring. "That's him. That's Mickey. And that behind him… is The Hunt."

"Really?" Frisk asked in disbelief. "He doesn't look that… intimidating."

"Heh, he's just showing off," Flowey said. "Thinks he's being cool or something. But that's all this is. A show. Don't fall for it. That's what he wants. Trust me."

Before this figure, the one Flowey assured Frisk was indeed Mickey, took another step forwards, he proceeded to pull out one more item from his hip pouch, a wooden stick that was impossibly long to fit in it the small pouch. He then let the long stick rest on his right shoulder like a bindle before proceeding to raise his loose left hand and signal movement with his fingers and he then proceeded to casually walk towards the town, with the shadowy figures following shortly behind him.

Suddenly, as if Frisk just told an awkward joke, Flowey began cackling. And he cackled, maddeningly and frighteningly, while at the same time clearly attempting to hold it down.

"F-Flowey?" Frisk nervously asked him.

Frisk looked down at her friend and felt her fear grow once more as she saw his face. The eyes on Flowey's stem had grown wide with disbelief and nervousness, while his nervous began to be replaced by exasperated breathing as if he couldn't believe his own eyes, or rather wished he didn't.

"Oh…" Flowey began. "I remember now. I remember… almost all of them… very, _very_ much."

With that, Frisk looked back up, and at that moment, her doubts about Mickey and The Hunt were forgotten as she was greeted by a formidable sight.

Behind Mickey, a group of five humanoids armoured in similar wain as their leader followed briskly behind. Humanoid was the most accurate term Frisk could think for them since while these creatures stood on two legs with two arms, most of them looked too big, short or exaggerated in their bodies or physiques for any normal human. All of them also wore dark hoods and mask, and all except for one close to Mickey were dressed in armours of the same dark coloured metal as him, although each of their masks shewed different and unique faces.

One of them, the first one that caught Frisk's attention, was a monster of humongous size, towering over all the others in the group, including Mickey. This was, possibly, the largest monster she had seen, maybe even more than the old hermit in the ruins, possibly made clearer by its large belly and limbs which seemed thick with fat, giving them the physique of a sumo wrestler, compared to the anorexic body of the old goat-lion in the ruins. Two large chains were across their breastplates, presumably to hold the armour on, while they carried on their back what looked like a long metal casket. But unlike the others, this massive figure held no clear weapons, presumably not needing any. The same symbol Mickey had, the Deltarune symbol, was also carved on this figures breastplate underneath the two chains, and long tusks and bull horns protruded from under their hood and metal mask, which had the appearance of a smiling theatre mask.

Just beside this massively obese monster, a much shorter, and much leaner monster about Frisk's own size walked crouched with a bit of a crooked back. This one's metal mask resembled a theatre mask, except this one protruded out like a snout, which was presumably what lay under there. A pouch filled with strange vials dangled on their belt alongside a strange white hatchet and several small daggers. A long slimy green impish tail slithered from their behinds, dangling in the air like it had a mind of its own, and on their chestplate, this monster also sported the same symbol of the Deltarune.

The next monster Frisk saw was the one who walked much closer to Mickey than the others, like they were his right-hand man. They were the only one in the group who didn't wear any visible metal besides the mask, which had the appearance of a primate skull with a sewn mouth. Their outfit looked light, being more made out of leather and fur, and a long dark cloak dangled over half of it. They were also freakishly tall, but not as much as the large fat one, and fairly skinny, and lastly, they had a long monkey tail that was being lazily dragged through the snow. This monster also had no visible weapons like the fat one, although here they could've been simply hidden under their cloak.

Lastly, there were the final two of the group, both of whom looked very similar to one another. They both wore similar-looking armours of the same dark metal and the Deltarune symbol was carved in the same spots on their chestplate. They both had the same pauldrons, the same dark-furred gloves and boots, and both carried similar-looking swords on their belts. The difference was that while one looked well built and tall, the other one was much shorter and skinnier, looking almost like a young teenager. Their masks were different as well. The taller, well-built one had a mask resembling a dragon or a lizard with two horns on tops, which Frisk then realized could possibly be a part of the monster themselves and not the mask or armour. Meanwhile, the shorter, lankier one had a mask resembling a humanlike face with two large bug eyes.

Together, while relatively not that many in numbers, these six armoured monsters had the same presence as the company of thousands, and their black plate with the metal masks and dark hoods gave off no hints that any semblance of humanity or merciful restraint lay under there.

"Oh fuck me…" Frisk said and chuckled anxiously. "I take it back. These guys… they definitely look like a Royal Hunt."

While she stared out at the approaching warriors, frozen still in both awe and fear, so much so she took a while to notice that her companion had stopped his frightened cackling.

"Sorry about that," Flowey said in midst of anxious breathings. "I just… gods, I just remember so much now. Of them."

"Yeah…" Frisk said without looking away.

Flowey panted for a few more moments before he continued.

"So for starters," Flowey began. "See that big one? The one covered in metal chains and has a big creepy smiley mask? That's Umbla. Or Fat Umbla, as some call her. Part minotaur, part pig monster. She's kinda like the big muscle of the group. Also, she's a bit psychotic. Was so long before Mickey showed up. Like several other Royal Huntsmen, she was once a member of The Royal Guard, but unlike the others who quit on their own accord, Umbla got kicked out years before the war by Undyne for being too violent. But in with The Royal Hunt… heh, here she is right at home."

Frisk looked at the large beastly woman again with a sense of unease, but this time in a more contextual way. The large smile on her mask looked mocking and smug as if to say that behind it was a face that held no regrets and was satiated with whatever cruel deeds it witnessed or performed.

"I see…" Frisk simply replied.

"Now the other smiley one," Flowey continued. "That short one with the crooked back beside her? That is Vissie, the so-called brains of the group. A very intelligent goblin monster, she was once a respected and notable scientist working under… you know who. But one day, she lost her mind in a freak science accident involving alternate dimensions or universes or something of the sorts and spent years in an asylum, until Mickey arrived. I've only heard stories, but they say that shortly after the accident, she gleefully bit the jaw of one of her coworkers."

"Did you say here name was Vissie?" Frisk asked. "Wasn't that the torturer? From the old bird guys story?"

"The one and the same," Flowey said. "If the story was true that is. But now… heh. Now that I'm seeing her… and remembering, I hold little doubt about that. If you thought Umbla is bad… well, you haven't met Vissie yet. I'd say she's on par with Mickey, if not worse, in terms of cruelty."

It was about that moment that one from the group, the cloaked one with the brown monkey tail and a mouthless skull mask, suddenly turned their head to look at her direction, and Frisk quickly ducked down. Crouched down there, she felt almost paralyzed with terror, so much so she didn't even dare to look back out the window. The monster had turned with such intensity, such quickness, that it was like they knew exactly what to look for and where.

Fortunately, she realized she was safe as the sounds of heavy metal boots trampled orderly beside the house towards some unknown place in town. With it were the subtle bass sounds of the music in Mickey's ears and some heavy chuckling and chatters that echoed underneath in the helm of the others. After a moment had passed, the sounds of clueless trampling became quiet. Frisk then decided to risk it and took a peek.

Fortunately, the marching group had passed the house, so now she could see them from behind.

"Shit, that was close," Frisk said.

"Uh-huh," Flowey said.

"Think they saw us?" Frisk asked.

"If they did, they would be knocking the basement door right now," Flowey said.

"Good point," Frisk said. "But who was that?"

"That one is known as quiet Willy," Flowey explained. "The mage of the group. Able to summon mindless golem from dirt, alongside using a bunch of weird illusion techniques. Willy is not his real name, mind you. No one knows what it is, for he doesn't say it. He barely says anything really, now that I think about it. Don't think he's a mute though, rather he just chooses not to speak. Well, except when he's speaking to Mickey that is."

"That's… weird," Frisk said.

"He is weird," Flowey said. "And creepy. He's also the most mysterious guy in the group, outside of Mickey obviously. Also the oldest, supposedly, being over a few hundred, if not a thousand years old."

"I'm guessing he's a monkey," Frisk said. "Judging by the hairy tail."

"Correct," Flowey said. "A primate monster, to be exact, like Mickey, who's said to be an ape monster, which unknown to most, is actually just a subspecies of primate monsters. Speaking of, Willy is Mickey second in command and you rarely see them apart."

"So they're both ape- erm, primate monsters?" Frisk asked, feeling as if she was unravelling something. "And he's also Mickey's second in command? And they're both mysterious?"

"I see what you're getting at," Flowey said. "But as much as I like to agree, I don't think there is a lot of connection between these two."

"Why not?" Frisk asked him. "It seems obvious."

"I know, but let's not be quick to jump to conclusions," Flowey said. "At least… not when it comes to these guys."

"Fine then," Frisk said. "I'll take your word for it. For now."

"Just until we get better proof that is," Flowey said.

This group of dark armoured warriors were walking by the library now, so Frisk could no longer get a good angle on them normally, so she had to position herself uncomfortably by the corner of the window sill. Even then, she could barely just glance at them.

"Well… what about the last two?" she asked Flowey.

"Hmm?" Flowey replied curiously.

"Of The Hunt," Frisk said. "There are five of these guys- erm six if you count Mickey. Who are those last two, the ones who with the dragon and bug masks? You do remember them right?"

"Oh yeah," Flowey said. "Well for starters, the one with the dragon mask is Eldur. He is… well… there is not much to say about Eldur. He's a sort of drake monster-"

"Wait, drake monster?" Frisk asked with rising intrigue. "You mean drake as in… dragon?"

"Yepp," Flowey said. "Drakes are related to dragons in some way, so much so that people often conflate them. I know. It's weird that a dragon is wearing a dragon mask."

"Holy shit," Frisk said with enthusiasm. "Dragon's are fucking real? Oh, man. I kinda wish I learned that in a different situation."

"You're weird," Flowey said, confused. "Anyways, Eldur was once a Royal Guardsman like Umbla. The difference, Eldur quit by himself, following Undyne. Then, sometime after The Royal Hunt was made, he joined it."

"Huh," Frisk said. "Anything else."

Flowey turned thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nah," he replied. "Frankly, while he's pretty quiet, there's not much interesting to say about him."

"Alright, what about the last one?" Frisk asked. "The one with the bug-eyed mask?"

Flowey turned silent and crossed his eyes as if he was wracking his brain, trying to remember.

"I… I do not know," he said after a while. "Maybe it's my amnesia but… he doesn't seem familiar. Not one bit. Could be new or maybe I've just forgotten."

"Can you think harder maybe?" Frisk asked.

"I'm pretty much thinking on full capacity right now," Flowey replied. "But… nah. Can't recognize him. I think he's just new. Must've joined sometimes during the years I was in a coma."

"Hmm," Frisk simply replied.

"Probably just some teenager from the capital that fell for propaganda," Flowey said, sounding a bit displeased by the prospect.

The group was pretty far away now, walking in the empty town with their backs cluelessly facing them growing ever distant. Realizing how relatively few of them were, only six in total, Frisk felt another suspicion growing.

"These are not all of the members, right?" she asked.

"No," Flowey answered. "Just the most significant ones. Well, some of the significant ones rather. There's no sight of Digi, Jick or any of the other former mercenaries."

"I see," Frisk said.

"Then there are probably other significant members that I've simply forgotten," Flowey added.

"I don't want to hear more," Frisk said. "Or at least not right now."

"Understood," Flowey said.

The armoured group in the distance entered Grillby's restaurant bar. And then, they were out of Frisk's and Flowey's sight. Frisk still stared outside the narrow window for a few moments in thoughts, before sitting down on the cold basement floor. She sighed a bit in relief and took the bag off her back, placing it by her side.

"Well, that was surprisingly nerve-racking," Flowey said.

"Yeah," Frisk replied. "Now I have at least seen them. The Hunt and Mickey. Now I know who to look after the most."

"True," Flowey said.

"It still feels so unreal," Frisk continued. "Like… I still can't wrap my head around this. This world."

"Welcome to my world in the last few hours," Flowey said. "Heck, I'm not sure those memories I got of them are even true. Or maybe I'm just saying that because… gods, those memories."

"Don't need to tell me about them," Frisk said. "I'm not that curious."

"Good," Flowey said. "Frankly, I'd have refused to, even if you'd asked."

"That bad?" Frisk asked.

"Yep," Flowey replied.

"Fuck me…" Frisk simply replied.

She sighed tiredly.

"Now what?" she asked, no one in particular.

"Now… we wait, it seems," Flowey said.

"Yeah," Frisk said.

She pulled out the phone from her pocket. Still, there was no signal on it. Not that she expected there to be. She ran her finger over the screen, glancing over the few apps she had and even fewer she could use without an online connection, and it dawned on her just how often she had taken the internet for granted. Not one of those few apps interested her at that moment, so she put the phone back into her pocket.

"So, Flowey," she began. "Got any good stories or…"

Frisk looked down at her companion who seemed to be stuck staring intently at the basement door, like a dog waiting for its owner.

"Flowey?" Frisk asked, confused. "Still there?"

"Uh-huh," Flowey simply answered without removing his gaze.

"What, is this your way of ignoring me?" Frisk asked and chuckled. "You know, it kinda defeats the point of ignoring by answering any-"

"We should get out," Flowey quickly said without hesitation.

Frisk was mildly taken aback by that. His wording and speech seemed more like a command than a suggestion.

"Are you serious?" Frisk asked him.

"Yeah," Flowey said. "Never been more serious in my life, I think."

"Wait, why are you so intent on going all of a sudden?" Frisk asked, confused. "Didn't Sans say we were safe down here?"

"You finally trust that smiley trashbag now?" Flowey asked.

"Umm… yeah?" Frisk said unsure. "Sort of. Because you trust him. Right?"

"Of course I still trust him," Flowey said. "But… I think this is our best shot to getting ahead of Mickey and The Hunt."

"Hang on, you're not just doing this because you think he's annoying, do you?" Frisk asked.

"You think I'm actually that petty?" Flowey asked back. "Frankly, we tried your idea of resting, but how well did that turn out?"

"And then what?" Frisk asked him. "Once we're out of here, then what?"

"What do you think?" Flowey asked back. "We get out of town as fast as we can while The Hunt is busy eating at Grillby's."

"Ok…" Frisk replied. "But even if I'd agree one hundred per cent, how do we get out of here in the first place? Sans has the only key, and I see no spares around."

"I can pick the lock with my vines," Flowey explained. "Easy peasy."

"This feels like a dumb idea," Frisk said.

"Frisk, this could be our chance," Flowey said.

Frisk looked at him thoughtfully. This was all too sudden. But at the same time, it was true they two wouldn't have much time before The Hunt finishes its business in town. Getting ahead of them, the one group that would want to hurt them the most would be beneficial. So, with reluctance, Frisk decided to agree.

"Ok, fine then," Frisk said and sighed.

"Good," Flowey said and smiled. "Now just wait for a bit. I'm a bit rusty, so picking the lock might take a moment."

* * *

Author's note:

So yeah, a bit of a shorter chapter I suppose.

This was originally going to be much longer, but then I realized that once it hit the 20-page mark on Google Docs, I had to trim it down a bit. Eventually, I just resulted in splitting it in two for the time being, because I didn't want you, readers, to be left without updates for a while.

But yeah. I don't have much to say about this chapter, except that it's the first glimpse in this tale you have towards some of the major villains in the story. I wanted each of The Hunt to have their own personalities, and much of that will come into play later on, especially in the next chapter, spoiler alert. It's not gonna be a long wait for the next chapter though. It's possible it will come before the end of this month.  
Also, we are nearing the end of the Snowdin arc, as I like to call it. Just two more chapters after this, and then we are in Waterfall. But in Waterfall is where the path of the story will finally deviate completely from the game. After Waterfall, The Shattering AU truly begins.


	23. Snowdin Part 7

**Snowdin Part 7**

Reginald did not expect to return to Snowdin this soon. Maybe not ever. Only a few hours had passed since the funeral, but as he was heading through Waterfall, he felt great dismay as he realized his book, the one he had bought from the Snowdin Library, was missing. It was one of a kind. One he had in childhood, but no longer published almost anywhere in the underground, or at least not legally.

The book was a story, a supposed true story, regarding the prince and the human child that fell down here, a long time ago, and the eventual demise of both. But it was clear that with this new regime going on, the new law and The Royal Hunt, that any media that depicted humankind in any good light would be either heavily regulated if not outright destroyed in The Capital area. Thankfully, being an ex-member of the Royal Hunt, Reggie was able to have some more leeways in possessing such things, although he lost his copy a long time ago. But since Snowdin wasn't of much interest to the kingdom these days, the library apparently had a single copy that slipped through the cracks. Even then, he still felt pleasantly surprised to see a live, old yet undamaged copy.

Truth be told, he had no idea why this book, in particular, fancied him so as he browsed the library while waiting for the ceremony. Maybe it was just the rarity of it. Or maybe there was something personal about it that he couldn't recall. Something that reminded him of some childhood memory long forgotten. It was also surprisingly cheap, as Lenny the librarian was clearly clueless about its value, so Reggie almost felt like he stole it from it.

Either way, he was reluctantly returning to Snowdin to get it. He had stopped at Grillby's before heading to the funeral, so chances were it was most likely somewhere in there.

 _Just my luck_ , he thought.

He tried to hide his face with his jacket hood as he went to town, even though he knew he would stand out either way with his large, muscular build. After everything he's done, he knew he wouldn't be properly welcome there.

But to his surprise, there were no monsters in the streets. The town was quiet and lifeless like everyone had up and vanished. As he looked around, confused, he noticed that there were still signs of people living here, although subtly. There were tools that were scattered, footprints that ran hastily back and forth. Clearly, everyone had left in a hurry. But why?

Then he glanced at some peering eyes coming from behind the windows of some of the houses.

"Yo, what's going on?!" Reggie called towards one window.

The figures inside appeared to tremble in shock and quickly closed the curtains.

"Yo, wait!" the rabbit cried.

It was no use. It was now like the figures were never there.

" _Leave us alone_ ," the voice of a frail old man said.

"What?!" Reggie said and turned around.

The voice came from a small round like house with the front door slightly ajar. There were no eyes there, Reggie noticed, but he still noticed a presence in the shadows.

" _You think we don't know who you are_?" an elderly woman's voice said in a frightful manner from the shadows. " _Why have you come here to torment us_? _We have nothing. Do you hear us? Nothing! Haven't we suffered enough?_ "

"Y-you misunderstand me!" Reggie began. "I'm not-"

The door proceeded to slam itself shut before Reggie could finish. He looked around the town, and all the glaring eyes had turned hidden as well. He knew he was not gonna get his answers from the townsfolk, although he started to suspect what was going on.

" _Oh no they can't be here_ ," he muttered to himself in disbelief. " _No. Not here. Not today_."

The clues to this mystery came clearer as he neared Grillby's, and heard the commotion inside. At first, he just assumed these were the townsfolk having some sort of surprise feast. But then he saw the shapes in the window. These awfully familiar shapes were of the people he had least expected to see this day, in this town, so surely he was mistaken. Was there a human who came here? Then why would The Hunt be feasting instead of on patrol? Unless they caught the human quickly. But that was improbable as only an hour at most had passed since he was in town, so he figured he would've noticed or at least heard there was a human here recently if that was the case.

Reggie stood thinking in front of the door, undecided if he should venture in. The rabbit was in such surprise and indecision that he didn't even glance twice at the strange silhouette huddled by the side of the building, nor the inaudible whispers that came from them. Was this book really worth the possibility of meeting _them_ again? After all the effort he made to distance himself the past few years? But it was a book he would probably not get anywhere else, and not only that, he knew that something about it stuck with him, and he wanted to read and find out what.

So he ignored his concerns, dismissing them as irrational, and headed inside. He pushed the door open, and immediately realized he shouldn't have dismissed his worries.

A group of uncomfortably familiar faces and shapes were inside there. Besides Grillby and his daughter, alongside some old reddish bird, he recognized the duo Umbla and Vissie, who both sat lonesome by a booth away from the rest, harassing Grillby's daughter. Then there was Willy who sat by the far side of the counter up against the wall, and even Eldur, the one once known as RG02 and the one who Reggie dreaded seeing the most, who stood by the front door, keeping watch like a bouncer. And lastly, there was Mickey, sitting by the bar counter in between Willy on his right, and some unfamiliar new recruit on his left. The mad ape sat facing the exist, half sunk in his seat with his legs lazily spread out, while holding a glass of brown beer in one hand, and a half-lit joint oozing green smoke in his other.

The rabbit could not read the expressions underneath their various masks that were now open for the mouths, but he could tell by their smiles, that The Hunters weren't seeing him as a stranger as he hoped, but rather like an old companion they had not seen for a while. But Reggie did share any of those thoughts back towards his old comrades. So he felt almost like those smiles were mocking him, rubbing it in his face the reality that he wasn't able to escape them forever.

"Fuck…" Reggie muttered.

"Ah-ha, Reginald!" Mickey called to him in a cheerful manner. "What a pleasant surprise! How gracious of you to come to see us, on such a fine morning!"

"Yo, what is-?" Reggie began.

"Come in, come in!" Mickey said in a welcoming tone. "We haven't seen you in a long time! Heh. Far too fucking long in fact."

 _A few minutes earlier_.

It took more than just a moment for Flowey to pick the basement lock. It took several, at the very least. Eventually, after a couple of twists and knobs, an audible click was finally heard from the door.

"Vola," Flowey said and removed his vines. "It's open."

"Finally," Frisk said and stood up.

She slightly cracked her back, which was a bit numb from the sitting, and then she picked up the pink backpack, holding it open in front of Flowey.

"Alright, hop in," she said.

"Nah," Flowey said. "I'm gonna walk-er, crawl on my own now."

"You trust yourself for that?" Frisk asked him.

"Of course," Flowey answered. "Erm… mostly."

"Well, just long as you don't slow us down," Frisk said.

"I won't," Flowey said. "Trust me."

"I do, I do," Frisk answered.

With that, she equipped the mostly empty backpack and went and pushed the basement door open. Once she took a step forward onto the snow, a rush of cold breeze and wind hit her, and the air became fresh with life once more.

"Alrighty," Flowey said, who had crawled ahead of her. "Coast is clear."

Frisk took a few more steps onto the wet snow, and the discomfort of her shoeless foot returned as the dry sock became once again annoyingly wet.

" _Aw shit_ ," she muttered.

She looked up towards the house, confirming it was indeed the house of the skeleton brothers, and she saw what looked like their silhouettes in the upper window.

"Still feels bad to leave without saying goodbye or even letting them know," Frisk said.

Her companion was strangely quiet.

"Right Flowey?" she added.

She looked down at the ground and turned quiet. Her friend was gone, and in his place was a strange trail leading further into town. She followed the trail with her eyes, and as she expected, at the end of it, she saw Flowey, quickly crawling away from her.

"Flowey?!" Frisk called after him.

Flowey didn't reply. Just kept crawling away from her like he didn't even hear her.

Frisk began to quickly walk after him. She couldn't believe it. Was this his whole plan? Ditch her as soon as he could walk again? But then, why head deeper into town, where the Royal Hunt was. Unless… he was actually working for-

No, Frisk thought. She refused to believe that. He wasn't working for them, right? But then again, she barely knew him. He said it himself in fact. Maybe she was wrong about him. About everything. Why was she so adamant to trust him in the first place?

Whatever was happening, she demanded to get some answers from him.

Fortunately, Flowey eventually slowed down until he had clear difficulty in pushing through the snow, so it didn't take long before Frisk caught up with him. Once he saw she was close, he tried to hurry in his steps.

"What the hell Flowey?!" Frisk exclaimed.

"You wouldn't understand," Flowey answered with surprising urgency. "I… I have to go there."

"Go where?" Frisk asked. "Are you leaving me?"

"I… it's not like that," Flowey said, still crawling. "I just… I need to do this."

"Do what?" Frisk asked him. "Flowey, what's going on?"

Without answering her question, Flowey proceeded to quickly hurry in his step, so now Frisk had to resort to running to catch up.

"Hey, wait!" she exclaimed.

They both ran for a bit through town, the snow splattering from her footsteps. It was only after they passed the library that Frisk realized where he was going. The flowers seemed intent on heading toward Grillby's, the place she saw all the hunters from before entering. She felt a tinge of fear grasp her heart, and she felt like her fearful suspicions were about to be confirmed. And she couldn't understand any of it.

"What the fuck are you doing Flowey!" Frisk asked, befuddled. "Why the hell are you going closer towards these assholes?!"

"I have to take a look!" Flowey said with urgency. "I… I just have to."

"Why?!" Frisk replied. "Why the fuck do you need to-?!"

Frisk paused in her steps as her companion turned around to face her. His eyes had gone pure black like a void, and his brows had turned angry.

"I just do!" Flowey replied harshly.

Then, almost as abruptly as it came, his angry expression faded just as he turned to look away in shame.

"Sorry," he said. "It's just that…"

"What is it?" Frisk asked calmly.

"They have… something," Flowey answered, looking away.

"They have what?" Frisk asked.

"I… I don't know," Flowey said.

"What?" Frisk replied, confused.

"Let me explain!" Flowey said, sounding irritated. "Sorry. I don't know what it is. But… I can feel it. Something they have I… I don't know how to explain it. I wish I did but… just trust me. I need to see what it is _._ "

He turned back to the bar and continued to crawl towards it.

"Flowey?!" Frisk cried after him. "Oh… screw it."

Her companion reached the side of the bar now, a wall of wooden planks where a convenient crack lay on the sides, freeing out into the snow a soft ray of mellow light. Flowey only proceeded to stop once he was right in front of it, although judging by his weird turn, he seemed to be planning to go all the way around the building before noticing the convenient crack.

Frisk had also stopped her running, resulting in crouching through the snow instead. She reached her companion, who was so invested in whatever was happening inside that he didn't notice her.

" _Ok, Flowey_ ," Frisk whispered. " _Just tell me. What do they have that's so important_?"

Flowey looked up at her with a bewildered expression.

" _What are you doing here_!" he whispered. " _You didn't need to follow me_!"

" _I know I_ -" Frisk began.

" _Do you know how dangerous this is_?!" Flowey interrupted. " _If The Hunt sees you, they'll_ -"

" _I don't care_!" Frisk interrupted. " _Look. I know I'm terrible at being… supportive. I know I've laughed at you here and there. But… I want to help you. Trust me, please. I really do. But I can't help if you don't tell me what it is_."

" _I told you, I don't know_ ," Flowey answered. " _There is just something. Something in there that gives me this pull and… ok, as soon as I see what they have, then we can go out of here, ok_? _Besides, it's not like you weren't pulling stunts like these at least two times in the forest_."

" _How is_ -"

Frisk stopped herself for speaking. She was mildly insulted, yes, but she couldn't find anything to say that could counter it. So instead, she sighed tiredly.

" _Alright I'll stay_ ," she said with reluctance.

" _Good_ ," Flowey said and went back to spy through the crack.

He stared intently through the crack now, almost like she wasn't even there with him.

Some audible conversations and wicked sounding laughter came from inside the bar, and Frisk once more couldn't resist her morbid curiosity and so joined her companion in peaking through. On the bright side, the crack was wide enough for both of them to peek through simultaneously, although not enough to get a good look at who about half of them were, so most of it came down to a process of elimination.

The first ones Frisk saw were the large warrior lady, Umbla, and the smiling masked goblin, Vissie, both of whom sat down by a booth cluelessly right where the crack was placed, with their masks open for their mouths. Umbla's mouth was thick-lipped with tusks protruding out from the jaws, while Vissie's was like that of a dog's. Another figure stood by their table, one clearly not a member of the hunt, pouring nervously into their large glasses like a service lady. It was another humanoid figure made of fire, similar to Grillby, except this one was green, much shorter and possibly female judging by her feminine shape and clothing. She wore a simple blue dress that was dirty and wrinkled, and she was clearly uneasy by the two ladies she was pouring for, both of whom seemed to have some sort of hold on her like on an invisible leash.

Then Frisk noticed Avy, who she remembered as the old storyteller bird from before, who sat by the small round table at the far end. Strangely enough, he seemed to be completely left alone with his drinks, like no one saw or cared about the civilian amongst them He made the occasional glance from his glass towards the two warrior ladies and green fire girl at the end of the wall, presumably with disgust clear on his ancient beak. Grillby stared at them as well from his place behind the counter. He seemed anxious, helpless even, in a way like he wanted to intervene but knew the awful consequences that would happen if he did, so all he could do was watch.

There was also the drake monster with the dragon mask, Eldur, who stood quietly beside the outside door, standing watch like a bouncer.

But the last three, Frisk couldn't get a good look at from her angle, but through a process of elimination, she could figure out that they were the last three of the group she saw. The mage Willy, the stranger with the bug-eyed mask, and lastly, Mickey.

A green smoke emanated from one of their direction, a smoke very similar to the one that came from Papyrus' room a while back, and any doubts Frisk had about that was gone once she smelled the same odour.

"Ahh," an unfamiliar voice said. "This. Now, this is a good fucking smoke."

That voice immediately grabbed Frisk's attention. The one who spoke sounded a bit deep yet deceptively charming with a clear tinge of a thick Irish accent, the first one she heard speak with one down here, Frisk realized, making whoever he was sound like a complete outsider. This had to be Mickey's voice, she thought.

"Simon, you're surprisingly quiet," the voice continued. "You like this place? I picked specifically for you, you know."

"Erm, I guess so boss," answered the one Frisk guessed was Simon.

It was a youthful male voice, with a surprising gentleness to it.

"Good enough," the _boss_ said. "But this is your day you know? Why not celebrate a bit? Like… you wanna taste the burgers here for example? They're pretty good. Fan-fucking-tastic even. One of the best in the underground."

"Mmm… alright," Simon said shily.

"That's the spirit," his boss said. "Oy Grillby? You heard him. A plate of Snowdin burger right here. Oh, and a bottle of your most expensive rum for me of course."

"R-right away, Lord Mickey," Grillby said anxiously.

It was clear now to Frisk. This was Mickey speaking.

"Please, enough with the formalities, Grillbz," Mickey said to the bartender. "We ain't on patrol today. Just call me Mickey."

"R-right!" Grillby blurted out anxiously. "Sorry lord-, erm… sorry, Mickey."

With that, he rushed towards the back door. Meanwhile, Vissie and Umbla, in their booth, chugged wildly in unison what looked like brown syrupy liquid, while the green fire elemental stood by the table, watching and waiting in either curtesy or fear. Frisk quickly assumed the later to be the case.

"Gah," blurted out Vissie once she had finished chugging. "How dreadful."

Her voice sounded shrill and energetic, to the point where even the utterance of just that one sound was full of intensity. The goblin lady then slammed the beer glass onto the table, almost shattering it, making the green fire elemental almost jump in surprise. Umbla, on the other hand, was still chugging her drink out of what was essentially a beer barrel, and she drank from it greedily and savagely. Once she was done, the slammed the barrel onto the floor beside her and burped loudly. Frisk felt like she almost choked from the stench that came after. The large beast then proceeded to chuckle amusingly in a deep voice that boomed throughout the bar.

"Gods, that drink was practically poison," Vissie muttered. "I've drunk outdated lab chemicals that tasted better than this waste."

"W-why did you finish then?" the green fire elemental standing by asked.

"Why do you care?" Vissie rudely replied.

"I…" the green fire girl began.

"Hey, Fuku wasn't it?" Vissie interrupted.

"Uh… yes…" the green fire girl, Fuku, answered.

"So, I have a request, Fuku," Vissie began. "Can you go back and fetch us two a… umm, several number threes, four of them at least, and erm… two bottles of vodka and a large cinnamon bunny to take home. And for me, I'd like a medium burger and some soda, any type, to wash down that dog piss your dad calls beer. Oh, and make sure my burger has no pickles in it. That's actually really important."

"Erm… I-I'm not a waitress," Fuku replied. "Or a cook for that matter."

"Same diff," Vissie replied. "I've been to this shitpile before. Your daddy always keeps extra stock in the back, just in case of moments like this. Now bring us that shit or my pal Umbla here will literally eat you alive."

"Err…" Fuku said.

"Nah, I'm just fucking with you," Vissie said snarkily. "She doesn't eat people. Or at least not in public."

The large woman chuckled heartily with her deep voice.

"Ok, but… can you run it by me again?" Fuku asked nervously. "What you want I mean."

"Ugh," Vissie muttered, annoyed. "I want four number threes, two bottles of vodka and a large cinnamon bunny for my pal Umbla here, and for me, I want a medium burger with no pickles and a soda. Any type. Got that?"

"I… I think so," Fuku replied nervously.

"Good," Vissie said. "Now come with what I asked for and if you're not back within five minutes, I'll break your fiery kneecaps."

Fuku chuckled awkwardly to that. But once she noticed neither Vissie nor Umbla chuckled as well, she turned more uneasy.

"Y-you were joking right?" Fuku asked.

"You'll see if you don't hurry," Vissie replied with annoyance.

Without even hesitating, the green fire elemental ran to the back of the bar. Vissie then leaned a bit into her seat and lazily placed her armoured legs onto the table, carelessly kicking over a salt cellar and thus spewing a white pile all over the table.

Quickly after she did, Grillby returned from the back, holding a plate of burgers in one hand and a bottle of rum in his other.

"Here you go," he said as he placed the order on the counters.

"Quick as always," Mickey said.

The primate proceeded to grab the rum bottle, bite the cork off and took a quick swig. Immediately, he proceeded to spit it out all over the counter.

"Wooh!" he said. "Fuck me that's strong! I love it!"

"Are you… are you going to pay for it?" Grillby asked nervously.

Mickey stared at him silently for a moment.

"Really?" Mickey then said, sounding almost a bit insulted. "Who do you think we are?"

"Oh… ok then," Grillby said with disappointment and fear.

While Simon proceeded to eat his burger, Mickey turned around till he was facing the exit. Then he sunk down into his chair and lazily spread his leg.

"Ahh," he said. "What about you Willy? How are you doing."

The other figure said nothing.

"Oh right," Mickey said. "You know, Willy, sometimes it feels like I'm talking to a brick wall. No offence, of course, but you gotta open up sometimes. We're having a celebration. You're allowed to have some fun now. Have a drink, go to town and chat with some girl or guys, whatever you fancy."

"I have no desire for any of that," a voice replied.

This voice, the one Frisk assumed was Willy, sounded pretty much like how Frisk expected the cloaked wizard monkey to sound. His voice was quiet and croaky like he had a sore throat, and spoke in an almost emotionless monotone.

"Really now?" Mickey replied to him. "Alright. Then tell me. What do you really desire then? Like… what do you want in life, Willy? What is your wish?"

"My only wish is to serve you, Lord Mickelsen," Willy simply answered.

"Yeah, that… seems to be a problem," Mickey said to him. "But… you're a simple man, Willy. With simple dreams. Maybe there is some value in that."

He then proceeded to presumably give up on his attempt at chatter and proceeded to light a new joint.

" _So, any luck finding this… thing_?" Frisk asked her companion.

She was starting to grow impatient.

" _None at all, so far_ ," Flowey simply answered.

" _Let's just get out of here then_ ," Frisk said.

" _Just a few more minutes_ ," Flowey said. " _I… I think I can spot it_."

" _Is this thing even worth it_?" Frisk asked. " _You don't even know what it is. You said it yourself_."

" _I… I'm sure it's worth it_ ," Flowey said. " _Just trust me on this_."

" _When haven't I so far_?" Frisk asked.

Suddenly, she had an insane idea. Normally, it would have been a pretty idiotic idea that would've been nothing more than a fleeting thought, but in this context, she felt that while dangerous and bold, it was a brilliant move.

" _Hey, you think I should try going in and taking them all out_?" Frisk suggested.

" _Heh, and you were suggesting I was the one being irrational_ ," Flowey said and smiled.

" _I'm serious Flowey_ ," Frisk whispered.

" _Wait, what_?" Flowey replied and turned to look up at her with a bewildered expression.

" _Didn't you tell me that humans are much stronger than monsters_?" Frisk asked. " _I mean, you saw how easily in the ruins I… I killed the old guy. You know, before I reset_."

" _Well, normally that's the case yeah,_ " Flowey answered. " _But a monster's strength in combat is determined by their will to fight. The only reason the old hermit died so easily to you is that, deep down, he didn't want to fight you. But the same thing can also apply in reverse. You really think these guys are gonna have any qualms against fighting you_?"

" _Oh yeah_ ," Frisk replied. " _Good point. Didn't think of it that way_."

" _More of a reasonable point than anything_ ," Flowey said and then continued spying through the crack.

Inside, the bar had turned mostly quiet, with Fuku in the back and Grillby nervously pouring drinks, while the rest were all seemingly drinking and smoking the boredom from their minds. But suddenly, Frisk heard some heavy footsteps nearby. Due to the emptiness of the street, they felt really out of place, and she almost froze for a moment as she feared the worst.

" _Y-you hear that_?" Frisk asked.

" _Yeah_ ," Flowey said.

The duo, slowly and carefully, turned their heads around almost in unison towards the street. There was a large figure there, walking towards the bar they spied at. Fortunately, they didn't seem to notice or care about them both.

It took Frisk a moment to notice who this was, but once she did, she quickly assumed she was mistaken. It was Reggie, the large rabbit from the library and funeral.

" _Wait, is that the beefy rabbit guy_?" Frisk whispered. " _I thought that guy left town_."

" _Me too_ ," Flowey said, confused but intrigued.

Reggie stood in front of the bar, his face hidden under a mixture of the darkness of the town and from his hoodie. He seemed almost hesitant, but eventually, he proceeded to enter the front door.

The bell on the door caught everyone's attention in the bar. And turned to look at this new visitor, except for Avy who just did a quick careless glance.

The light in the bar was not much, but it was just good enough so that Frisk could see the rabbit's expression, and he seemed to be shocked, nervous and even a bit angry at seeing the inhabitants inside. The same impression Frisk got from the stares of the masked warriors.

"Fuck…" Frisk heard him mutter.

"Ah-ha, Reginald!" Mickey called to him in a cheerful manner. "What a pleasant surprise! How gracious of you to come to see us, on such a fine morning!"

"Yo, what is-?" Reggie began.

"Come in, come in!" Mickey said in a welcoming tone. "We haven't seen you in a long time! Heh. Far too fucking long in fact."

If Frisk didn't know or suspect better, she would've not thought twice about the certain bitterness she felt in his tone.

"Come, sit down with us," Mickey continued. "There is a loose seat here. Right, Willy?"

The old monkey said nothing nor hesitated before he stood up from his stool and moved towards the bent edge of the bar.

Reggie then sighed tiredly before he, seemingly hesitantly, went and sat down beside him. An audible creak came on the stool as the large rabbit sat down.

"So… Reginald," Mickey began. "It's been a while, hasn't it? If we'd know you were still in town, we would've informed you we were coming."

"What are you doing here?" Reggie asked sternly.

"Still bitter, eh?" Mickey replied. " But if you wish to know, have you met Simon here before? Of course not. This is his initiation feast. Initiation into our elite squadron. He's been training for years, the good boy. And I chose this place because… why not?"

He patted Simon on the back who shuddered a bit.

"I see…" Reggie replied.

"Anyways," Mickey began with a tone of sympathy. "So I've heard about what happened to your cousin. Ivan, wasn't it? A shame. A real shame. And his mother? God. I can't imagine it. Outliving your own children. Burying them even. It must be one of the worst fates there is."

"You don't really care, bro," Reggie replied bitterly.

Mickey stared at the rabbit for a while, seemingly expressing insult behind his mask. But before the air was filled with any more tension, Mickey proceeded to lightly chuckle

"You still think so little of me?" he said. "After all we've been through?"

Reggie said nothing. Just kept looking at Mickey with disdain, but that was apparently a good enough answer for the ape.

"Fine," he said. "Have it your way. You're not fun to talk to like this, either way."

" _What happened between them_?" Frisk asked Flowey.

" _Lots of things,_ " Flowey said.

" _Guessing you don't remember much of them_ ," Frisk said.

" _Actually, I do remember most of them this time_ ," Flowey said. " _It's just such a long story that I don't have time to go into it now unless we want to be here all day_."

" _Oh, well I see_ ," Frisk said.

It was at this moment that Frisk began to wonder why she was still sticking around with his idea. An idea she mostly thought as being akin to suicide. But then she remembered how she was in the forest and ruins, where her morbid and deadly curiosity led her to follow what most would think twice if not thrice before a step towards, even with her ability.

" _Man, is this how you felt with me in the forest_?" Frisk asked cheekily. " _You know? Whenever I decided to run towards strange noises_?"

" _Maybe_ ," Flowey said without looking away from the crack.

He was clearly not in the mood for such talks, Frisk could tell.

 _God, maybe I am a hypocrite_ , she thought.

A moment later, Fuku came wandering from the door at back, trying to hold in both her hands some plates carrying several burgers and food while drinks were hanging from a bag tied in her waist.

She walked a bit wobbly, either due to the weight of her equipment or her fear. Perhaps a bit of both, Frisk thought, but she mostly assumed the latter of the two.

Umbla stared greedily at the approaching food, her blood-red animalistic eyes now somehow visible underneath the eyeholes of her smiling mask. Fuku glanced up at the eyes of the humongous pig-minotaur and gulped slightly.

Finally, after an uncomfortably long walk, she reached the table and placed the plates on the smiling mask duo's table, although a bit clumsily, as some of the plates practically fell down on the table from her hands.

"S-sorry!" Fuku quickly said.

The duo did not say anything, but neither did they seem to care. Fuku then took the bag of drinks from her waist and grinned as she placed the heavy bag onto the table. Before Fuku had even gotten another word out, Umbla had begun her gluttonous feast.

"H-here you go," Fuku then said nervously. "A burger and, erm, soda for you m-miss, and uh… three number fours, two bottles of vodkas and… and a cinnamon bun for the large missus- I MEAN-! "

"Relax, Umbla ain't gonna feel hurt about that," Vissie said. "No amount of insults can get through her thick slobs of flesh. Ain't that right fatty?"

"Mmhmm," Umbla replied, mouth full, in a deep booming yet seemingly amused voice.

"Erm… good to… k-know," Fuku said awkwardly. "Either way I… I hope this is correct."

"Eh, she'll just eat it either way," Vissie said.

"Right…" Fuku said. "Umm… if there is anything else, you can just… just let me know."

Fuku walked slowly away from their table, her head bowing down slightly, while the warrior duo behind her began their feast. But while Umbla was stuffing the food and vodka through an opening in her mask, Vissie, slowly and carefully, removed the top bun of her burger. She looked down at the insides of the burger for a few good moments. Whatever she was saw, she was clearly unhappy.

"Hey, erm… Fuku?" Vissie asked her.

Fuku stopped in her tracks and anxiously turned around back to her.

"Can you come back here a moment?" Vissie asked her calmly. "I… I wanna ask you something. Up close."

Looking confused and nervous, Fuku reluctantly walked back towards the goblin. Once she was at the table, Vissie signalled her to come even closer. Fuku then leaned forward until she was right up in her face.

"W-what is-?" Fuku began.

Before anyone in the bar noticed, Vissie had yanked the girl by her collar, and with a great force, slammed her face onto the table, causing food and drink to spill out of the plates and glasses and all over the floor, ceiling and walls. Before Fuku could even absorb what happened, Vissie yanked her again, raised her in the air, and slammed her harder onto the table, then forcing her face down on it.

"IS THIS A FUCKING JOKE?!" Vissie yelled violently at her. "YOU THINK YOU'RE BEING FUNNY HERE OR SOMETHING?!"

"W-WHAT IS-?" Fuku attempted to speak out with fear and bafflement.

Before she could finish her words, Vissie proceeded once again to slam the green fire elemental face onto the wooden table. This time, it was with such intensity that a crack formed onto the table. Then, Vissie jumped onto the table, squatted and pulled out one of her knives, pointing it at the frightened fire elemental.

"OR ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME HERE, HUH?!" Vissie yelled. "Are you a spy or something?! A rebel?! ANSWER!"

"I don't know, I don't know what you're talking about?!" Fuku cried out. "I… what did I do?!"

"You know what you did, you MURDEROUS BITCH!" Vissie said.

"Yo get your hands off of her!" Reggie yelled.

The large rabbit monster ran up to her, but Umbla stood up from her seat and simply looked down at him, which was enough for the rabbit to stop in his tracks. He looked at the assault from afar, his hands clenched into fists, but then he, clearly reluctantly, loosened them and headed back to his seat.

"Well shit," Mickey said calmly, watching from afar. "Here she goes again."

He casually took another smoke as he watched the assault take place. Grillby meanwhile looked clearly distraught, yet he did not move from the counter. Just stood still and watched helplessly.

"What are you doing?!" he cried out. "Stop?!"

Vissie, unfortunately, did not even react to his words as she proceeded to slam his frightened daughter onto the table once more.

"I told you no pickles!" Vissie yelled into her ear. "I told you, specifically, that I ordered no fucking pickles! And you know what that means?!"

"WHAT?!" Fuku cried out, utterly baffled. "T-t-that's it?!"

"DON'T INTERRUPT ME!" Vissie yelled again. "But no! That's not just it! You're not getting the picture here lady! Have you heard of the chaos theory?! Of course not! You see! Me eating this pickle, on this burger, is theoretically more likely to lead me down a chain of events that results in my fucking demise! Small things lead to big things, so and so so forth! Do you see?! The probability of me dying an early death is maximised by small mistakes like this! The chance of me dying tomorrow is also fucking increased!"

"W-what?!" Fuku muttered, sounding more confused than ever before. "I… I don't-"

"Oh, what's so confusing about that you stupid piece of- GAHHHH!" Vissie yelled.

For a moment, the angry goblin lady had grabbed the fire elementals face, causing her hand to seriously burn, and a small white smoke sizzled from her palm.

" _Holy shit_ ," Frisk whispered, watching the assault, stunned. " _That girl is fucking crazy._ "

" _You're telling me_ ," Flowey replied, sounding stunned as well.

" _Flowey, we… we gotta do something_!" Frisk whispered urgently.

" _No can do_ ," Flowey said sadly. " _Not against all of them at once. They… they are too strong for us_."

" _But… so what_?!" Frisk said with desperation. " _I mean it's not like they can kill me or-_ "

" _They're not gonna kill you_ ," Flowey said sternly. " _Not humans_."

" _What_?!" Frisk replied.

" _The Royal Hunt doesn't kill humans_ ," Flowey said. " _They'll take you captive. And trust me, when they have you, they will never give you even a second to kill yourself, even if they'll make you want it_."

" _So we are just gonna watch this_?!" Frisk said, almost loudly enough to break her whisper.

" _I… I'm sorry Frisk_ ," Flowey said sympathetically.

"Look at this!" Vissie yelled at Fuku.

She raised her burnt palm in front of the fire elementals face.

"LOOK AT IT!" Vissie repeated while Fuku winced in fear.

"Stop this!" Grillby cried out once more. "S-she made a mistake! Just a simple mistake! She's new here she… she doesn't know any better!"

"Fuck you!" Vissie finally replied to him.

Without looking up, she proceeded to flip him off. The fiery bartender, practically stunned and frozen in place, turned towards Mickey.

"P-please!" he pleaded. "Mickey! Please make her stop!"

"Why?" Mickey answered casually. "What's in it for me?"

"Huh?!" Grillby replied, clearly baffled.

"You want me to make her stop?" Mickey asked back. "What, do you also want me to stop you two from being perpetually on fire as well? Stop snow from being cold? Water from being wet?"

"What are you-?!" Grillby began.

"Oh, I am just making rhetorical questions," Mickey said and took another puff of smoke. "This is just how she is sometimes. Don't worry though. Vissie will calm down on her own, eventually. She always does. The only downside, she might leave behind some… collateral damage."

"Collateral damage?!" Grillby asked in bafflement. "That's my daughter she's hurting!"

"Relax," Mickey said casually. "Chances are she'll live, although she might need to go to a hospital or two."

"Chances?" Grillby repeated as if he did not like that word. "Oh, y-you gotta stop this, please!"

"Fine, but only if you make it worth my while," Mickey answered.

"I'll give you anything!" Grillby said without hesitation.

"Really?" Mickey replied.

There was an unnerving hint of devilish glee in his voice.

"Ok then," he said.

He stood up from his chair and looked towards Vissie, who was still holding Fuku on the table.

"Look at what you fucking did to me!" Vissie yelled. "This is your fault! Now you owe me a new fucking palm you… you… FUCK!"

"Hey, Vissie!" Mickey yelled. "That's enough! Let her go!"

"Why do you care boss?!" the rampaging goblin lady yelled back. "This bitch tried to murder me!"

"That's an order, Vissie!" Mickey added. "Calm down, right this moment!"

"Or what?!" Vissie asked.

"Does the _Blood-knuckle_ ring a bell?" Mickey simply answered.

Vissie immediately stopped what she was doing as soon as Mickey said those last words. Vissie now just stared down at the battered fire elemental on the table, still, while her face hidden under the mask wracked with either anger, terror, or a mix of both.

"Y-you wouldn't dare!" Vissie said in shock.

"Of course I would," Mickey said. "Wanna wait and see?"

Frisk did have some occasional curiosities for the morbid, but whatever this _Blood-knuckle_ was, she didn't want to hear more, since just the mere mention of it shook even this monster.

"Ugh, fuck it," Vissie said. "Girl, you are lucky he was around."

With that, she threw Fuku off the table and onto the floor, her fiery face battered and bruised, and Grillby ran from the counter and up to her with worry.

"Umbla, restrain her!" Mickey added. "Hold her till she calms down."

The massive monster then quickly grasped Vissie, so smoothly as if she had done this before, and held her arms tightly. Meanwhile, Grillby began hugging his daughter, who's tears dissipated into smoke once it touched her cheeks,

" _Oh my baby girl_ ," he whispered to her. " _It's ok. It's ok_."

Mickey gave out a small, mildly mischievous chuckle as he walked to the centre of the room.

"Alright Hunters!" he cheerfully addressed his warriors. "I have some good news. Grillby wants to show some appreciation for our heroic contributions to this town and underground, along with rescuing his daughter and has thus chosen to give us a big reward. From here on out, Grillby's restaurant bar is now officially a subsidiary of The Royal Hunt. That's right, we now own this place now."

A loud cheer from most of the warriors filled the tavern, including from Visse, Umbla, who proceeded to flip the table by the booth, and Simon who clapped his hands in a way like he wasn't sure what was happening. Meanwhile, Grillby and Fuku, still grasping each other on the floor, looked at Mickey with utter incredulity.

"What?!" Grillby exclaimed. "I haven't agreed to that!"

"You said that you would do anything right?" Mickey replied smugly. "Well, this is my request."

"But-" Grillby began.

"A deal's a deal," Mickey said. "Haven't you heard that breaking a promise is frowned upon in polite society? Or should I just allow Vissie to finish her-?"

"NO!" Grillby cried out. "N-no just… you can have anything you want ok? Just don't hurt my baby girl anymore."

"Great," Mickey said. "Glad we could come to a satisfying agreement in the end."

" _God, what a piece of shit_ ," Frisk whispered.

" _Uh-huh_ ," Flowey agreed.

" _We should've helped them_ ," Frisk said.

" _Maybe_ ," Flowey simply replied. " _But on the bright side, it seems to have solved itself somewhat either way_."

" _Yeah, I guess_ …" Frisk simply said.

Umbla and Vissie wasted no time before they ran from their seats towards the back of the counter, rummaging whatever they could find.

"I call ownership of all the good fucking booze here!" Vissie yelled. "Gonna drink till I fucking die!"

Whatever they did not fancy there, the duo proceeded to throw behind them carelessly. Glasses were shattered, various liquids were spilt, while Grillby and his daughter looked on in dismay.

But among those discarded objects was also a strange-looking book, one that clearly got Reggie's attention as he proceeded to quickly go and pick it up, once he noticed it.

As he quickly ran through it, he failed to notice that Mickey had stood from his stool and grasped his shoulder from the back, still holding a lit blunt between his fingers

"Be honest Reggie," Mickey said. "You missed this. Didn't you?"

"Miss what?" Reggie asked without turning. "Do you mean the assaults on innocents? The bullying? Or the tortures?"

Mickey was quiet for a moment, stared at the rabbit, like he was surprised or insulted. But then he proceeded to simply chuckle it away.

"Aye, there is some of that sometimes," Mickey said. "But I meant the control. With the hunt, you were able to control the weak. Sounds pretty awful to most, but still. Someone must. Someone has to take control of others. That is simply the nature of… well, nature. All those things you mentioned, the tortures or blackmails as you called it, are necessary evils. You know that of course?"

"You call this a necessary evil?" Reggie asked. "How?"

"It's simple," Mickey began. "These people wanted help, and I asked for something in return. And now with what I have, they are gonna be extra careful to treat us well, including Vissie. Especially if they want to keep the protections this establishment will now receive from us. That's how the world works. You should have realized when you worked with me that doing things purely for "honour" or "justice" or "because it's the right thing to do" is not… always sustainable. Not in this world, and especially not on the surface with humans. Sometimes, or rather most of the times, you need to be rough, and monsters must know that before we go and take back the surface."

"Yeah, but-" Reggie began.

"You think I enjoy it?" Mickey asked back. "The unfortunate truth is, sometimes you must do the bad to give way to the good. I know. It sucks. But that's life."

" _Oh fuck this_ ," Reggie muttered.

The rabbit, without uttering a word, suddenly proceeded to loosen himself from Mickey's hold and proceeded to walk towards the front door

"Hey, hey, where are you going?" Mickey asked after him.

"I'm leaving," Reggie simply replied. "I just came here for my book. I got it, and now there is nothing more for me here."

"Oh don't be like that," Mickey said and walked after him. "You haven't even told us what you've been up to these past few years. Stay a while longer. You're in no rush, right?"

"Right…" Reggie said, starting to sound annoyed.

"So why the hurry?" Mickey asked cheekily.

The rabbit stopped in his steps, just as he was reaching the front door, and Mickey quickly followed suit. Once he was in arms reach. But then Reggie turned around and looked at Mickey with pure annoyance showing on his face.

"Because I am tired, bro," Reggie answered and looked down at him. "I am tired of you, and I'm not gonna bother to sit here any longer and listen to your self-righteous bullshit."

All became silent at the bar as if on command. Besides Mickey, all looked surprised, annoyed or worried at the tall rabbit that stood only slightly taller than Mickey, but in this mood, it was like he had complete dominion over the situation. Over Mickey himself. But there was also a tinge of nervousness in the rabbit, as he seemed to realize he probably went too far.

But before Reggie got to say or do anything else that might've increased Mickey's ire, the ape just proceeded to laugh.

"Brave are you, Reggie?" Mickey asked cheekily.

"Maybe," the rabbit said and shrugged. "Just saying it how it is."

"How it is, eh?" Mickey replied.

"Yeah," Reggie said. "I'm going."

"Hey, just one more thing," Mickey said before he left.

He raised his hand towards the rabbit.

"How about a proper goodbye?" he asked.

"Why?" Reggie asked.

"Why not?" Mickey asked. "Come on. You're not scared of a little handshake? Besides, you know I can't kill you. Won't kill you, rather."

Reggie looked down at the open palm in consideration. Then after a moment of thought, and possibly due to the pressure of all who were still watching, Reggie shrugged and reached for the hand.

"Alright then," he said, sounding reluctant.

But as soon as he grasped Mickey's palm, the ape with a sudden strength and pace pulled the large rabbit towards him before he could react, before grabbing him tightly and leaning up towards one of his ears.

"Ok let me tell you a secret, brave boy!" Mickey spoke harshly into the ear. "Just because you were lucky enough to be one of the few ever pardoned by me, does not mean you have the freedom to say and do anything now beyond repercussions! May I remind you that the only reason you were allowed to quit in the first place is because of your boyfriend over there, who is still useful to me! To us!"

Mickey's with his featureless mask leaned closer towards the rabbit, who tried to keep his stern expression.

" _But here's the thing_ ," Mickey added in a whisper. " _It's not gonna last. One day, Eldur is either gonna die or fuck up so royally that I have no choice but to dismiss him. Or worse. And when that day comes, and it just might, then oh fucking boy! All of your arrogance, all of your brave acts of defiance you've got away with thanks to your privilege will accumulate and come crashing down and backfire through your current false belief in anarchistic freedom from law and order._ _Because that's all this actually is. That's all your words are. Privilege. Not bravery or acts of rebellious thoughts or any of that bullshit. Privilege. Because the truth is, your thoughts are not special._ "

He leaned even closer. Reggie still kept a brave face, although he was beginning to sweat.

" _Do you really think I don't know what some monsters outside the warmth of New Home actually think of me?_ " Mickey continued. " _Do you think I'm stupid enough not to notice what's really going on in their heads? Sure there is the false veil of joy and excitement they express at seeing me. But deep down, I see through their eyes of judgement. And it's not just in this shit hole, where people were too afraid to face me, face the unfortunate truths, so they all hid in their holes like mice. Oh no. In fact, everywhere I look, everywhere I go in every shit town I go through, I see all these halfwits, all these mother fuckers, they_ -"

He stopped himself before he finished. His tone had gotten much angrier. More frustrated, in what seemed almost like a personal way. He took a bit of a breather and then continued.

" _They ain't gonna know what hit them_ ," Mickey then added, sounding more calmer.

He finally let go of his hold on the rabbit and took a few steps backwards, looking Reggie in his slightly nervous eyes.

"Do we understand each other?" Mickey asked him. "Don't waste this privilege of yours. Enjoy it while it lasts. 'Cause it's gonna run out. Someday."

He then patted his shoulder and let the rabbit go his way. Reggie then wasted no time and turned back around, heading outside while Mickey went back to sit down in his seat. Before Reggie left, however, he paused in front of Eldur, who still stood quietly by the front door.

"Sup Eldur," Reggie, once known as RG01, said to him.

"Sup," Eldur, once known as RG02, simply replied back.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" RG01 added.

"Indeed," RG02 said.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence where they simply both stared, coldly like they were struggling to recognize one another.

"I'll see you around, bro," Reggie then said.

"Mmhm," Eldur simply answered.

The beefy rabbit turned away from him and walked out the door. Eldur then proceeded to watch the rabbit until he wandered away out of sight. Everyone inside, besides Mickey and Eldur, seemed almost confused, unsure of what to do now that the tension was over.

"You're one soulless sack of shit, Eldur," Mickey said to the drake. "What? Not even gonna go after him?"

Eldur didn't answer. Simply looked at the primate silently. Mickey then chuckled took another swig of his drink

"Who are you calling soulless?" Avy suddenly said to him.

Mickey stopped with his drink halfway up his mouth as if it was hard for him to understand what was said. It seemed to take almost everyone in there, even Frisk herself, a moment to realize who had spoken, as ever since The Hunt had arrived, the old bird had almost become an invisible ghost to them. But now everyone seemed to have remembered the elusive old patron sitting alone, as now all eyes around glared at him, while Avy stared back with visible disgust and hatred towards Mickey, one of the few who seemed to not have forgotten him at all.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Mickey asked him in a mocking tone.

" _No, old man, don't do it_ ," Frisk whispered as Avy could hear her.

"You heard me," Avy said sternly in an act of defiance. "Who are you calling soulless, _oh great Mickey_? Acting like you don't know who you are, hypocrite."

Mickey did not answer. Instead, Willy did by quietly yet slowly raising his arm towards the old bird as if to cast a spell. But before he could finish whatever he was doing, Mickey grabbed the monkeys wrist halfway up.

"Calm down Willy," Mickey said casually. "Calm down. He insulted me. Big deal. It's not a capital offence at this point."

Willy stared at his boss silently, before nodding and raising his hand back down.

Meanwhile, Avy smirked smugly as he watched.

"So what's your name gramps?" Mickey asked him while lightning a new joint.

"Why should I tell you?" Avy asked snarkily.

"Heh, it's just basic courtesy Avy," Mickey replied.

A hint of surprise now grew on the bird's face. Yet, he said nothing.

"That's right," Mickey continued. "Did you really think we wouldn't find out Avy? In fact, what was it you called me again in your tale? Ahh. A demon, am I right? Honestly, I… I kinda dig it."

"How did you hear about it?" Avy asked, slightly confused.

Mickey simply chuckled.

"That's normally a classified secret," he answered almost mockingly. "But, since you asked. I will tell you that my influence reaches far and wide. Further than many think."

"No matter then," Avy said.

"Also," Mickey continued. "Despite being a shithole of a town, at least one monster that listened to your story is able to afford a phone, and also stupid enough to post what you said on what they thought was a private blog. Your story, _your bravery_ , went viral for a good few moments in fact."

"Hmm… so that's the real reason you came to town?," Avy said, thinking. "Couldn't handle someone hurting your image, even if it was the truth?"

"Pfft, no," Mickey said dismissively. "We were already planning on coming here. In fact, it wasn't until we were halfway there that I found out about it. A big coincidence is all."

The old bird appeared unconvinced by his response.

"Oh yeah," he said sarcastically. "You are here for this little guys initiation. You're hiring kinda young, aren't you? Especially for the elite? It's almost like your story is just… just a decoy? An excuse?"

"Well it seems to us like you're the one making excuses," Mickey said calmly. "Projecting your own insecurities onto me. Oh hey, maybe that's why you carelessly revealed such a big secret to the townsfolk here eh? Also, young Simon here is much stronger than he looks."

"Uh-huh," Avy said. "Whatever you say. So are you gonna kill me with boredom or do you just wanna talk?"

"Kill you?" Mickey asked, sounding almost like someone who would never consider that.

Avy did not answer, and for a moment, neither did Mickey. An uncomfortable air of silence grew in the bar like everyone was waiting anxiously for a bomb to go off, except no one knew when it would. Just that a bang could happen at any moment. Frisk joined the anxious onlookers, feeling the hair rise on her neck.

Eventually, Mickey proceeded to stand up from his stool and proceeded to walk slowly, but pridefully, towards the old bird, who still stared with an unmoving expression of disgust.

"Who said I wanted to kill you?" Mickey said as he walked.

He stood in front of him now, towering over the elderly bird. Then out of a sudden, he proceeded to pull an object from a small holster on his back.

"You know what?" Mickey said to as he rummaged through it. "I wanna show you something."

Frisk thought it seemed like a small, cylindrical object at first until she noticed the handle. She could guess what it was, although she found it hard to believe. It was a small semi-automatic pistol of modern design.

 _Oh, this is not happening_ , Frisk thought.

"Do you know what this is?" Mickey asked the old bird monster.

He waved the gun around in front of Avy, his finger in the trigger hole. Frisk wasn't sure whether he had no clue or care about proper trigger discipline.

"This is called a gun," Mickey continued. "Something wonderful I picked up from one of my excursions up to the surface."

He chuckled as he looked down upon the gun he now carried in both his palms.

"Gotta say," he continued. "For all the awful shit that humans do, their sense of hatred has some silver lining to it. While monsters were rotting down in caves, evolving through survival and kindness, humans have evolved many ways to kill. And this is… this is the apex of it. Don't need much training whatsoever. Nor any need to even get up close your opponent. Just point it at someone you hate and bam. They are dead on the spot. Or heavily wounded at least. There's not even magic involved, although it sounds like it. Few of them believe in magic, so they found other ways around. It's magnificent ain't it? This… really sums up humanity in general. Evolving their kills. Evolving hate."

"So I'm guessing you're gonna kill me with this tool?" Avy asked snarkily.

Mickey shook his head.

"Not at all," he said. "In fact…"

He handed the gun towards the old bird who looked at it in confusion.

"I want you to have it," Mickey said.

"Huh?" Avy replied, confused. "Why should I accept it?"

"I'm not asking," Mickey said.

Avy, confused but clearly tired, took his pistol. He then examined the foreign object, noting its surprising lightness.

"Alright, I've accepted your gracious gift, oh lord," he replied snarkily. "Now what?"

"Now… I want you to shoot me," Mickey said bluntly. "Shoot me dead."

"WHAT?!" Vissie cried out.

"Are you crazy, boss?!" Eldur asked.

" _Huh, losing him might be easier than I thought_ ," Flowey whispered to Frisk.

"Alright, what's your trick?" Avy asked suspiciously.

"There is no trick here," Mickey said. "I just want you to shoot me. Prove to me you're as brave as you act like you are."

Avy turned thoughtful for a few moments, clearly considering it. Then he raised the gun towards Mickey. Yet, he didn't do anything. Just aimed the gun at the mad ape.

"Don't know how to use it do you?" Mickey asked mockingly. "Come on. It's not that hard. You're already pointing. That's about half the work. Now you just need to pull the trigger gramps, that's all there is left to do."

"H-he's bluffing," Fuku said to the old bird.

"I ain't bluffing," Mickey said without looking away.

He removed the mask from his face. Unfortunately, Frisk couldn't see properly underneath from her angle. She did see those hairy tentacles she had heard so much about, now loose and dangling out the hood like dreadlocks. Or were they simply dreadlocks? They really resembled them, now that Frisk was seeing them for the first time.

"No face mask," Mickey continued and raised his arms in the air. "No protection. Just shoot at my face. Kill me instantly. And be known as the one who killed The Great Mickey. With a single bullet."

Avy raised the pistol higher so that the barrel aimed at his face. Yet, he did not shoot.

"Ok, let me give you some more encouragement," Mickey said impatiently.

He rushed in front of the bird, kneeled down and grabbed hold of the gun, then forced the barrel up to his face. Yet, Avy did not shoot.

"Come now," Mickey said mockingly. "What are you waiting for?"

" _I bet it's not even loaded_ ," Frisk whispered.

"It's really easy," Mickey continued. "Just pull the fucking trigger, come on."

Avy did nothing. Just stared at him continuously with disgust. Meanwhile, all the onlookers, including Mickey's warriors, stared with worry as Mickey seemed to be growing impatient.

"Come on, you chicken shit!" Mickey said, sounding louder by the word. "Pull the fucking trigger! Shoot me!"

The old bird did still nothing. Mickey tightened his grip on his gun and Avy's feathered hand, seeming to almost break it.

"Shoot me!" Mickey continued. "SHOOT ME!"

Then as if to give up, the old bird let go of his grasp on the pistol before Mickey impatiently ripped it off him.

"Fuck it!" the ape muttered.

The old bird leaned down in his chair, face filled with disgust and unsureness. Mickey then chuckled in amusement once more.

"God, you're such a coward," he said mockingly. "Couldn't even pull a goddam trigger. Where was your brave act of defiance from before, eh? Or have you finally accepted that you're not truly in control?"

Avy did not say anything. Just stared at him silently with disgust.

"Have it your way, gramps," Mickey said and stood back up. "We will meet again though."

Mickey then adjusted his hairy tentacles back into his hood and re-equipped the mask.

"Alright fellas, it's time to go!" Mickey yelled. "Its time to go home to New Home!"

And so raised his gun into the air and fired once. A loud, almost deafening bang came blasting out, followed by an unexpectedly large hole in the ceiling. Frisk almost fell back in surprise while she, seemingly in instinct, placed her palms over her own ears. It was so much louder than she expected a gun to sound.

"Fuck!" she cried uncontrollably.

Immediately afterwards, she realized she had just spoken out loud, and became fearful that she just blew her cover. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed, as they were all too distracted by the sudden bang.

Fuku and Grillby, like Frisk, had also proceeded to quickly grab over their ears while grimacing in pain and shock. Simon also followed suit, and so did Vissie who immediately let go of all the food and drinks in her hands as she cursed.

"GAH WHAT THE FUCK?!" she cried.

It was clear that most of the people there had either not heard such a loud sound before. At least not in a long time.

"You're telling me it was loaded this entire time?!" Eldur asked his boss, befuddled.

"Yeah," Mickey answered casually. "Why wouldn't it be?"

 _Holy shit, what a god damn psycho_ , Frisk thought.

While The Hunters were getting themselves ready to go, she took a deep breather, thankful that they had managed to stay hidden for so long.

" _Alright, I think we should head back Flowey_ ," Frisk whispered. " _Don't think we found anything_."

There was no answer.

" _Flowey_?" she asked again.

But then she turned towards where her friend supposedly was, and once again, he was missing.

She began to frantically look around until she saw his snow prints. She followed them like last time, and then almost yelled once she saw him again. Or rather, what she assumed was him. The prints lead towards a sunflower that sat on top of a small puff of snow. Except this sunflower had a blank pistil like Flowey did before she "woke him up".

But before she could worry much more, she realized his face hadn't disappeared again. Rather, his eyes and mouth were closed, but his eyelids and mouth had the same texture as the rest of the pistil, so his features camouflaged like a chameleon.

" _Flowey_?!" she whispered after him. " _What are you_ -?!"

Before she could finish, she heard the door to Grillby's close and the warriors all headed out. It was like time had momentarily slowed at this moment as she desperately tried to look for a new hiding spot. Fortunately, she saw a decently high snow pile close by the place Flowey stood, so she quickly rushed behind it. She grabbed her mouth to hide her anxious breathing. She then peeked out and was relieved to see that neither Mickey nor one of his warriors seemed to have any clue about her and Flowey.

"Gotta say," she heard Mickey say. "Despite everything, this was a pretty swell trip. Wouldn't you guys say?"

There were a few nods and unenthusiastic "yeah" from his warriors.

"How did you know though?" asked Eldur.

"Know what?" Mickey replied.

"That he wouldn't shoot you?" Eldur said.

Mickey chuckled softly.

"Well that's the secret to it," he answered. "I didn't."

"Huh?" Eldur asked in befuddlement.

And with that, the group proceeded to walk down the road to the left, towards the direction of the skeleton brothers' house and further.

Frisk gave out yet another sigh of relief. She was glad this strange and dangerous idea of her friend seemed to be done with now. Speaking of, she was definitely going to ask him about all of this. She thought it was obvious that he wasn't telling her something.

"I'm still angry at that dumb waitress or whatever," Vissie said once they had gone a few steps.

"Because of the pickles?" Eldur asked her snarkily.

"It's not just about the pickles!" Vissie said angrily. "She'll never understand it. Those unscientific morons never do. There is a thing that humans call a _butterfly effect_ , where one small change, or mistake in this case, in a timeline can lead to devastating-"

"Hey stop!" Mickey commanded out of the blue.

He raised his arm and stopped walking, and his group followed in confusion.

"Does anyone else feel that?" Mickey asked.

"F-feel what boss?" the teenager, Simon, asked. "You mean the ringing in the ears? I think that's from the gun."

"No not that, rookie," Mickey said. "But… it's like I'm being called somewhere. Not by words, but by some strange force or… something."

It was clear to the whole group now that something unusual was going on with him.

"W-what is it, boss?" Simon asked.

"There is something here," Mickey said. "Something that feels… familiar? But I cannot place it exactly."

He looked around the snow-covered street as if he desperately looking for something. Then he turned to his left and saw Flowey. He stared at him, his hidden face, as he was completely enamoured by him. Then he slowly, and steadily, walked towards him like he had no idea what a flower was.

Once he closed in, Frisk quickly ducked. For a moment, she thought that he was coming towards her. But then she heard his steps stop, and his shadow lay over the flower. She peaked out, not realizing until later that it was a stupid risk, and saw him standing over Flowey, staring intently.

"What… is this?" he asked.

"I think that's a flower boss," Eldur said cheekily.

"Of course I know that!" Mickey replied harshly. "But…"

"But what boss?" Eldur asked.

Mickey then proceeded to ignore him as he ran his armoured fingers across the pistil while Frisk watched nervously behind the pile, wondering if Flowey was going to be able to keep himself still throughout it all. Mickey then pulled off his armoured glove, revealing a strangely human-like hand underneath, before he then proceeded to stroke the pistil again with his bare fingers.

"But… this _feeling_ ," he said with curious awe. "This feeling this flower gives me. I feel like… like it's a part of me. Like I can feel every stem, every leaf and every microscope as if it were my own limb, detached yet still connected to me. But if I just grasp it, absorb it… properly somehow, I would... I would be… what? _What the fuck is going on_?"

Frisk didn't know what was happening. Did he know that Flowey was a living being, and this was some sort of manipulative way to make him reveal himself? Then again, his warriors seemed confused as well as they stared at his strange ritual. But she could simply be imagining that reaction, as she couldn't actually see what was behind their masks.

Most of all, she wanted to run up to the ape and maybe save her friend. And that feeling grew the more Mickey was slowly examining him.

"What gibberish are you going on about, boss?" Vissie asked.

"Yeah, you're starting to sound like Vissie when she's slightly sane," Eldur said drily.

There came a few chuckles from the group, while Vissie looked up at the dragon, seemingly unamused.

"Oh shut the fuck up!" she hissed.

But Mickey did not react one bit to it Eldur's deadpan delivery, as he normally would.

"Boss…?" Eldur asked, sounding confused and a bit worried.

As Eldur's question was a code word that brought him back to reality, Mickey quickly pulled his hand hastily away and shrugged, before removing the half lint joint from his mouth.

"Maybe it's just this cigar," Mickey said as he examined it. "Messing with my head. Maybe it's defunct or something."

He casually threw it onto the snow and put it out with his feet, while putting the armoured glove back onto his bare, hairless hand.

"Alright guys," he said. "Enough distractions. Let's continue."

With that, he led the group away, all continuing their pace as if nothing had occurred.

"Why is there a sunflower growing in such a cold and snowy place in the first place?" Simon asked.

"Who cares?" Mickey said. "It's not the weirdest shit that happens down here, greenhorn. You'll understand. Soon enough."

As so, Frisk heard them no more. There was just silence in the town now. Silence mixed with a subtle breeze of the wind. But even though they were seemingly gone at least, neither Frisk nor Flowey went out to reveal themselves.

Eventually, Frisk stood up from behind the pile. The street was empty, as she thought, and there was no sign of Mickey nor his warriors. She took a few steps into the street, sighed in relief, before looking back towards Flowey. Once she saw him again, another layer of concern grew within her. His entire body, from root to pistil, was shaking anxiously like someone invisible was trying to uproot him.

"Flowey?" Frisk asked calmly.

Suddenly, Flowey's eyes and mouth burst open. They all seemed wide open in shock, and he panted heavily.

"Oh gods," he muttered in shock. "Oh, my gods. My heart, my… wait, I have a heart? Huh, t-that is… that is something… heh…"

And with that said, he fainted and landed on the snow with an audible thud.

"Flowey!" Frisk cried out.

Papyrus could no longer resist his urge and nervously peeked out the makeshift window. His brother had gone for the moment, looking for Flowey and the human after discovering they had left the basement once he went to check on them. Sans had asked him to stay in his room and not to come out. And so he did. Gladly. For even without his orders, he wouldn't have dared leave if that meant seeing Mickey again.

But so far his brother hadn't returned. He had been alone in the house only for the past few minutes or so, yet for him, it felt like hours had passed. Most of it was spent huddled in the corner, shaking and dreading. More than anything, he wished he had his smokes back, despite the insistence of his brother. He had tried to light some of the dozen used ones scattered about but to no avail. To make matters worse, there was no movement around and no sounds, except for the nervous rustling of his bones. The only light came from the window and from a minimalistic black and white skull flag from the human world above his desk, which covered a boarded-up hole in the wall. He stared at the latter one intently, as he thought it would help his mind to be occupied.

Eventually, the flag and thus the hole seemed to almost call to him. It stood there, silent and unchanging, yet it almost seemed to glow alluringly. The black and white skull almost seemed to be calling to him, smiling as if it was alive to mock him. Papyrus wasn't sure if that was his imagination at play, or whether something was actually summoning him towards it. Whatever the case, it didn't matter to him, and he kept fighting his curious urge. But as times passed, the urge to peek grew further and further until it felt like some emotional torture. He could no longer resist. Not for a minute longer. So with great fear, he stood up and went to have a peek under it. He hoped, desperately, that Mickey would be long gone by now. He hoped to see nothing but the snow-covered streets of Snowdin, maybe with some townsfolk having gone outside to signify that The Hunt has left and peace had returned. Whatever it was, Papyrus felt it didn't matter since he couldn't even change whatever the truth was beyond on the street.

At first, there seemed to be no one outside. The streets were empty of any life whatsoever, besides some strange shadows huddled by Grillby's. But then he saw some figures walking down the street from that place towards the direction of his and his brother's house. He couldn't get a good look at first due to the distance. But then once they got closer, he realized that these figures were all armoured. There could be no more doubt. This was them. And _he_ was in front, leading them.

Despite wanting to desperately glance away, Papyrus kept watching, telling himself to stay brave. They couldn't get him from there. Mickey couldn't get him from there, and thankfully, none of them seemed to even notice him by the boarded up hole watching them.

Then without warning, the leading figure stopped in his tracks just in front of the house. He turned his head slowly towards the house and towards Papyrus' room. The skeleton almost gasped once he recognized him, even covered by his mask. It was Mickey, and he was looking right at him.

All the horrible memories came rushing back to the forefront of his mind. The hanging, the maiming and the tortures. The cries. The yellings. All the atrocities he witnessed, all the cruel things he once couldn't imagine for his life, much less believe that any soul on this earth would be capable of pulling them.

But then Papyrus simply shook his head and realized that Mickey probably didn't notice him. Perhaps he was just looking curiously. Maybe he didn't see him?

But then, the ape nodded, and the skeleton almost gasped in pure horror. He almost froze in fact. But maybe he imagined it. Maybe this was a trick of the light, a mirage that came as a result of his frightened state. But to, unfortunately, quell all his hopeful doubts, Mickey then gave a quick salute to Papyrus'direction before continuing on his way towards Waterfall, his group following after.

Sans teleported back into his house's living room, disappointed. His search, or rather the parts of it he wasn't too lazy to do properly, had proved futile. All gathered was that they escaped the basement through lockpicking, and judging by the prints, they had gone to the direction of Grillby's.

Chances are, they were a lost cause by now, Sans thought, considering they headed towards the direction of Mickey and his group that is. Why they did so, and not go west towards Waterfall, Sans couldn't for the life of him understand. Still, a part of him was certain he would see them again. Humans were pretty determined after all, Sans knew.

He was usually a bit of a cynic, but here, he felt strangely enough mildly optimistic about their chances, though he couldn't tell why. Perhaps he had grown a bit fond of the duo, so it was simply just his mind trying to reconcile. In a way, he was sort of rooting for them. Maybe that was why he chose to help them in the first place.

But either way, Sans turned to the thought that there was not much point in speculating, considering that the results would be the same either way since. If Mickey had them, he wouldn't dare go rescue them either way. Helping them hide is one thing, but going up against Mickey? He knew what he was capable of, and he didn't want to risk his or his brothers' life, no matter how selfish he knew it might sound.

Now thinking about his brother, Sans decided to go back up the stairs and check on him. He felt a bit bad leaving him alone for so long, especially since he didn't expect it to be. But before he took another step, he heard heavy footsteps going down, and turned to see his brother was slowly pulling himself down the steps, sweating and looking strangely exhausted.

"S-Sans?" Papyrus asked nervously. "T-thank the gods."

"Pappy?" Sans asked surprised. "I thought I asked you to stay in your room?"

"I… I did but…" Papyrus muttered.

The tall skeleton almost seemed to lose all energy as he slowly sat down on the bottom of the stairs, bones wetting with sweat and holding his chest as if he had a heart.

"You sound like you ran a marathon," Sans said as he ran up to him. "What happened?"

"I… I saw him…" Papyrus said. "I… I looked out the hole. Behind the flag. I don't know why I did it but I couldn't resist. And I… and I saw him."

"Geez," Sans said in a tone of understanding.

"N-not only that…" Papyrus continued. "B-but… he looked at me! And nodded! And saluted even! He remembers, Sans! He saw me and he remembers me! Oh, gods!"

"Maybe," Sans said. "But he's gone from town. You don't need to worry about him anymore. Not right now at least."

"It's… it's not just that…" Papyrus muttered. "I… I need another cigar. Sans? Where did you-"

The front door suddenly burst open and the skeleton brothers turned to look. Fortunately, it was the human girl Frisk who came rushing in, holding in her hands a faceless sunflower.

"Guys!" she cried. "Help, please!"

"What happened?" Sans asked.

"I… I don't know!" Frisk said, panicking. "He just… he just fell over- fainted and… stopped having a face and I… I don't know what happened! He won't wake up and I-!"

"Calm down kiddo," Sans said. "I'm sure there is a perfectly valid explanation here."

The skeleton took the plain sunflower from her trembling hands and placed it down on the kitchen table. The way it was placed made it look like he was about to dissect it.

"Alright," Sans began. "So first things first, why did you go outside? Why leave the basement?"

"Does that fucking matter now?!" Frisk quickly said.

"Geez kid," Sans said, taken back. "Just asking. It might help me know what happened to your… erm, "friend" here."

"Sorry…" Frisk said, trembling. "I'm just… I just don't know what the fuck is happening anymore."

"Mhhm," Sans said. "That's fair I guess."

Sans began to examine the now faceless flower on the table, while Papyrus, slowly but surely, walked towards his brother and looked down upon his old friend on the table.

"Wh-what happened?" he asked with worry.

"That's what I'm figuring out," Sans said.

"He just… fell," Frisk said. "He was outside and… Mickey touched him."

"He touched him?" Sans asked with slight intrigue. "So you went close enough to him so he could do that? Frankly, that was not the smartest idea kid."

"I… it was his idea," Frisk said.

"He didn't see you did he?" Sans asked and turned towards her. "Mickey I mean."

"I don't… I don't think so," Frisk answered. "If he did, I… I feel he would-"

"Hey, guys?!" Papyrus suddenly said with mild excitement. "Stop your bickering and look! His face! It's back!"

Sans surely did as his brother commanded, and looked down upon the flower.

"Well, that was easy," he joked. "Didn't need to do anything after all."

Frisk now walked slowly towards the table where her friend lay. Indeed, his face was back, although it was hard to notice at first. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be breathing calm deep breaths. It was like he was in a deep yet comfortable sleep.

"See kiddo?" Sans said. "He's back. No reason to worry at all."

"B...but what happened to him in the first place?" Frisk asked.

Then, as if on cue, another strange thing happened. Flowey's mouth had begun to move rhythmically while his eyes appeared moving under his closed lids. It looked as if he was trying to bring some oral message from his dreams towards the land of awakening.

" _E-enough…_ " he mumbled. " _Brother… please_ …"

 _Brother_? Frisk thought.

"What's he s-saying?" Papyrus asked.

"I think he's half-dreaming," Sans said.

" _Please wake up_ …" Flowey mumbled. " _I don't like this plan anymore…_ "

"Flowey?" Frisk asked worryingly. "What are you-"

Suddenly, the eyes of the flower burst open once more.

"STOP, DON'T!" Flowey yelled. "DON'T HURT THESE PEOPLE! I CHANGED MY MIND! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE CHAR-"

He abruptly stopped in his strange rambling. It was like he was quickly and suddenly pulled back into reality, as part of him was still stuck in the realm of sleep. Flowey looked around the room, seeing the confused faces of Sans, Papyrus and of his new friend, Frisk, who he looked up towards with pleading yet terrified eyes.

"F-Frisk?" he asked. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me," Frisk confirmed. "Are you alright?"

"I… I think so…" Flowey answered, face starting to sweat.

"What happened?" Frisk pried. "What were you going on about there?"

Flowey looked up at her for a while, panting heavily, before he answered.

"I… I'm tired…" he replied. "I think I'll… I think I'll take that rest now."

Later that day, the two of them were back in Papyrus' room, attempting another round of rest. Papyrus wasn't with them this time, opting instead to sleep in Sans' room while his brother remained here. Still, Frisk did not choose to sleep on his car bed despite the offer, not due to any particular reason she could think of. Besides, the sleeping bag proved to be fine enough.

Flowey once again decided to occupy the same flower pot from before, although this time, he was clearly much less caring of it, not even bothering to make sure it was comfortable before settling in.

"Hey, Frisk?" Flowey began. "Still awake?"

"Yeah," she replied. "What's up?"

"Sorry about tricking you earlier today," Flowey said. "A-and for lashing out at you of course."

"It's alright," Frisk answered. "It's fine now."

" _Not sure it actually is_ ," Flowey muttered quietly.

He almost mumbled those words, clearly not attempting or expecting her to hear. But while Frisk did, she decided not to mention it for now. She was mostly bothered by other questions.

"I admit," Flowey continued. "It was stupid of me. Going towards Mickey and his group."

"Don't need to apologize to me," Frisk replied. "Remember? I also pulled similar dumb moves like that twice or thrice in the forest, remember?"

"Heh, yeah," Flowey said and smiled mildly.

"What really happened back there though, Flowey?" Frisk then calmly asked.

Flowey didn't answer as he stared at the floor looking like he was at a loss of words.

"Sorry," Frisk said with a tinge of guilt. "It just… it seems like there is something up with you and Mickey. Some connection or something. But I shouldn't have pried. Or at least not right now."

"No it's fine you asked Frisk," Flowey said. "The truth is… I… I don't know. There was just….some odd feeling. Some strange urge or pull I felt but… I can't explain it."

His voice sounded so low, it was like he was trying to hide his words as if Mickey was just on the other side of the bedroom door waiting for him to slip.

"I see," Frisk said, and turned thoughtful. "I… I think I can relate."

"Y-you do?" Flowey asked, still in his low voice.

"Well not a pulling feeling necessarily," Frisk said. "But I mean that a lot of the times, I also can't explain my own emotions myself."

"Huh," Flowey said and smiled a bit. "Well… that's a relief. Kind of. But that's not all though."

"You don't need to tell me more," Frisk said. "If you don't want to."

"I felt this pull when we first saw him," Flowey continued, ignoring her words. "Back when we were hiding in the basement, and he was just a speck in the distance. There was this… tingling in my vines and stalk. I didn't think much of it back then because… well, I was too traumatized by the sudden rush of horrible memories. But once they were gone and out of sight, that sensation lingered. Even after I calmed down, this pull was still burning inside of me, and I couldn't resist it anymore. I just had to go out and look. Had to get closer towards whatever it was, even while a big part of me kept telling me how stupid it was. And when Mickey touched me that feeling seemed to increase like ten times until… I could no longer think. It was like I was back in that coma, if only briefly. But then, I felt nothing. He was just gone, and the strange sensation with him. Honestly, I had sort of hoped to remember something that would explain everything. But I got… nothing. Even now once this pull is gone I… I don't understand it."

"Hmm," Frisk replied, listening but not knowing what to say.

"I'm… I'm scared Frisk," Flowey suddenly blurted out.

"Flowey…" Frisk replied sympathetically.

"Wait, did I say something?" Flowey said with bafflement and turned to her. "I… I suddenly kinda blanked out there for a moment."

"You…" Frisk began.

She stopped herself. She didn't want to add any more pressure to him.

"Nevermind," Frisk told him.

"No, what did I say?" Flowey pried.

"Nothing," Frisk lied. "Just… nonsense."

Flowey looked at her for a moment, as if he was reading her.

"Hmm," Flowey said and turned away. "Alright. Sleep well then."

"You too," Frisk replied.

With that, she closed her eyes, hoping to finally sleep-away her worries for now.

* * *

Update: This Chapter has been extended by several new pages that I felt couldn't fit the beginning of the next chapter. This is now the longest chapter so far I think.

Update 2: The author's note. Finally.

So I guess I should finally be writing something here. Frankly, I had almost forgotten about it, and at this point, I'm not sure anyone will notice.

But yeah. So the main reason it took me such a long time to write this chapter is probably that it took me one too many retries. Normally, when I write a chapter, I write a single draft, and then I go over it, fixing errors and things I'm not happy with. Sometimes, I even go as far as rewriting practically everything. In other words, most of the chapters are the 2nd draft, either completely or just for the most part.

This chapter is the first one that's the 3rd or 4th draft. This is perhaps the most rewrite I've ever done so far. Mostly, it concerned Mickey and The Hunt. For the longest time, I was really unhappy with what I had written. I wanted Mickey to feel intimidating, but also be somewhat down to earth so as to not feel like a cartoon villain. Suffice to say, he ended up being like that in the first draft. Of course, I didn't think much of it. I almost always change the first draft. But once I finished the second draft, Mickey and his hunters basically felt like a troupe of clowns. Mickey himself felt less of a warrior with delusion, and more like an edge lord. After that came the third and fourth rewrite... yeah you get the gist.  
Frankly, I'm not even sure if I am completely happy with the final result here. But so far, I think it's better than nothing.  
I also was kinda stuck at the beginning. Originally, I was gonna open the chapter with Flowey and Frisk leaving the basement, but then I realized I hadn't established that Reggie (RG 01) was back in Snowdin. Then I was gonna open with The Hunt at Grillby's to set up the scenario, but then I felt it to be a bit too unnatural and even clumsy in its exposition. Then after long consideration, I decided to add a short flash-forward in the beginning. I was also just gonna skip straight to him going to the bar, but then I realized I had mostly ignored the townsfolk of Snowdin. How would they react, hiding in their homes? So then that section was added in and... yeah.  
I guess that's about it on this semi behind the scenes. I'm sure there are a bunch more trivia I could give, some more delves into my mindset when writing, but this is most of what I could bother to remember.

But on the bright side, The Snowdin arc is almost complete. After that is Waterfall, and then... well you see. It's not Hotland, I'll say.

But as usual, the next chapter might take a while to come out. Sucks, I know. This time, my excuse is that I want to finish another chapter of the Frisk crossover story I took a break from. As for the politics bear story. Yeah, I honestly have no idea when I get back to that one. I want to, but I'm not sure when though.

In the meantime, enjoy this chapter and I hope to see you in the future.  
Please leave a comment. Reading your thoughts and theories is one of my favorite parts as a writer. ;)


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